Stealth Rotor Blade R&D

The big part of Valor that gives its "Stealth" title is the optional stealth rotor blades! Drones are very loud creating a very distinctive buzz or whine that's easily audible and recognizable. Making a virtually silent drone is nearly impossible, at least with a quadcopter configuration. However, reducing the travel distance of the sound and masking the pitch closer to background noises is relatively straightforward. The exact methodology behind the R&D work for these blades can't be discussed in detail, but to the more technical individuals, you may have noticed some telltale details right off the bat ;)

Aerodynamics can be simulated, but until you test you simply don't know. The development of the blades involved rigorous amounts of test stand time, measuring power draw, RPM, thrust, and of course most importantly acoustics. We've taken advantage of 3D-printed props (Using SLS printers) to allow a very rapid data-driven evolutionary cycle of each version. It's more than strong enough for testing, but the final version will be made of carbon fiber.