Elroy Air
Autonomous cargo eVTOL developer (Chaparral aircraft) for military and commercial logistics.
Elroy Air develops the Chaparral autonomous cargo eVTOL aircraft for military and commercial logistics. Founded November 2016 by David Merrill (CEO until January 2025, now Executive Chairman) and Clint Cope (VP Engineering); Dr. Andrew Clare (ex-Nuro CTO, ex-Tesla, PhD MIT) became CEO in January 2025. The company is an Agility Prime partner (USAF/AFWERX) and demonstrated the Chaparral system at Travis Air Force Base during Mobility Guardian 2023. Elroy Air holds a $1.7M AFWERX TACFI award, equipped Chaparral with three unattended delivery modes under a US Army contract, and — together with Leidos — developed the MARV-EL Marine Corps aerial-resupply prototype for the Navy/USMC STUAS program office. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions manufactures Chaparral at its Sacramento facility under a 2026 partnership.
Overview
- Headquarters
- South San Francisco, CA
- Founded
- 2016
- Employees
- ~42-43 (aggregator estimates: ZoomInfo, RocketReach, LeadIQ)
- Total funding
- $40M+ Series A (2021) plus additional raises
- Stage
- Series A
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Autonomous cargo eVTOL, Military logistics resupply, Advanced air mobility
- Website
- elroyair.com
Founders3
- FounderDavid MerrillCo-founder of Elroy Air (2016) and CEO until January 2025, when he became Executive Chairman as Dr. Andrew Clare took over as CEO.
- FounderClint CopeCo-founder of Elroy Air (2016); served as VP Engineering, then Chief Product Officer, before stepping back to an Advisory Board role in December 2024.
- FounderAndrew ClareCEO of Elroy Air since January 2025. PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT. Previously at McKinsey, managed the Tesla Model X program, and held multiple leadership roles at Nuro culminating in CTO. Also Board Director at Noya and Strategic Advisor at Nuro.
Investors9
- FundLockheed Martin VenturesStrategic investment arm of Lockheed Martin, investing in deep-tech pioneers.
- FundShield CapitalEarly-stage defense and national security venture capital firm.
- FundMarlinspike PartnersNational security-focused venture capital firm based in Arlington, VA, founded in 2020; invested in Elroy Air's $40M Series A (2021, as Marlinspike Capital) and led its January 2025 funding round.
- FundProsperity7 VenturesVenture capital firm (Aramco Ventures' growth-stage arm); participated in Elroy Air's $40M Series A (2021).
- FundSnowpoint VenturesVenture capital firm; participated in Elroy Air's January 2025 funding round.
- FundMilano Investment PartnersInvestment firm; participated in Elroy Air's January 2025 funding round.
- FundDiamondStream PartnersInvestment firm; participated in Elroy Air's January 2025 funding round.
- FundLevitate CapitalVenture capital firm; participated in Elroy Air's January 2025 funding round.
- FundLemnosEarly-stage venture firm investing in hardware and deep-tech startups at the pre-seed and seed stages.
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025) | ~14.3% | |
| Preferred (2025, Lead) | ~14.3% |
Contracts2
- ContractAFWERX TACFI Award$1.7M AFWERX TACFI award to Elroy Air under the Air Force's Agility Prime program, alongside its Phase 3 SBIR contract. The company announced the award in Q4 2021; SBIR.gov records the contract period as 2022-07-07 to 2024-07-07.
- ContractUnattended Delivery Modes ContractUS Army contract for Elroy Air to equip Chaparral with three unattended delivery modes: precision airdrop (hover and forward-flight) and ground delivery.
Programs2
- ProgramAgility PrimeUSAF/AFWERX program accelerating commercial eVTOL/advanced air mobility for military use.
- ProgramMARV-EL (Marine Aerial Resupply Vehicle)Marine Corps aerial-resupply prototype program developed jointly by Leidos and Elroy Air, using the Chaparral autonomous cargo eVTOL, approved for flight testing by the US Navy's STUAS program office.
Frequently asked
- What does Elroy Air do?
- Elroy Air develops the Chaparral autonomous cargo eVTOL aircraft for military and commercial logistics. Founded November 2016 by David Merrill (CEO until January 2025, now Executive Chairman) and Clint Cope (VP Engineering); Dr. Andrew Clare (ex-Nuro CTO, ex-Tesla, PhD MIT) became CEO in January 2025. The company is an Agility Prime partner (USAF/AFWERX) and demonstrated the Chaparral system at Travis Air Force Base during Mobility Guardian 2023. Elroy Air holds a $1.7M AFWERX TACFI award, equipped Chaparral with three unattended delivery modes under a US Army contract, and — together with Leidos — developed the MARV-EL Marine Corps aerial-resupply prototype for the Navy/USMC STUAS program office. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions manufactures Chaparral at its Sacramento facility under a 2026 partnership.
- Where is Elroy Air headquartered?
- Elroy Air is headquartered in South San Francisco, CA and was founded in 2016.
- How much funding has Elroy Air raised?
- Elroy Air has raised $40M+ Series A (2021) plus additional raises in disclosed funding.
- What does Elroy Air specialize in?
- Elroy Air works across Autonomous cargo eVTOL, Military logistics resupply, Advanced air mobility.
- Does Elroy Air hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Elroy Air to 2 government contracts and 2 programs.
Sources & citations10
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Elroy Air unveils its autonomous cargo eVTOL Chaparral aircraft; company founded 2016, HQ South San Francisco, CA
Forbes: Company Named For Jetsons Son Unveils Autonomous Cargo EVTOL Drone Of The Near FutureVerified2022-01-26 - 2
Elroy Air raises $40MM Series A financing including Lockheed Martin Ventures, Marlinspike Capital, and Prosperity7 Ventures
sUAS News: Elroy Air Raises $40MM Series A financing including Lockheed Martin VenturesVerified2021-08-03 - 3
Elroy Air brings on Dr. Andrew Clare as CEO and secures additional funding to scale the business, deploying Chaparral as an autonomous logistics workhorse for the U.S. and allied forces
UAS Weekly: Elroy Air Appoints Dr. Andrew Clare as CEO, Secures New Funding for ExpansionVerified2025-01-14 - 4
Elroy Air demonstrates autonomous cargo delivery for Air Mobility Command and AFWERX at Travis AFB during Mobility Guardian 2023, an Agility Prime-affiliated exercise
Vertical Magazine: Elroy Air demonstrates autonomous cargo delivery systems for Air Mobility Command and AFWERXVerified2023-10-12 - 5
Elroy Air appoints Dr. Andrew Clare (ex-Nuro CTO) as CEO, succeeding co-founder David Merrill, who becomes Executive Chairman; secures new funding led by Marlinspike Partners with Shield Capital, Snowpoint Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Milano Investment Partners, DiamondStream Partners, and Levitate Capital
UAS Weekly: Elroy Air Appoints Dr. Andrew Clare as CEO, Secures New Funding for ExpansionVerified2025-01-23 - 6
Leidos and Elroy Air demonstrate an autonomous aerial resupply drone (MARV-EL) for the US Marine Corps, approved to fly for the US Navy
Leidos: Leidos and Elroy Air Demonstrate Autonomous Aerial Resupply Drone for US Marine CorpsVerified2024-05-14 - 7
Elroy Air equips Chaparral with three unattended delivery modes under a US Army contract
Vertical Magazine: Elroy Air Equips Chaparral with 3 Unattended Delivery Modes Under U.S. Army ContractVerified2026-07-29 - 8
Elroy Air announces Kratos Defense & Security Solutions will manufacture the Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft at its Sacramento facility
BusinessWire: Elroy Air and Kratos Defense Announce Manufacturing PartnershipVerified2026-07-20 - 9
Elroy Air has approximately 42-43 employees
ZoomInfo/RocketReach/LeadIQ: Elroy Air — Company ProfileReported2026-08-02 - 10
Lemnos participated in Elroy Air's $4.6 million seed round (December 2017), alongside lead investor Levitate Capital, Homebrew, and Shasta Ventures.
DroneDJ: Elroy Air raises $4.6 million for cargo delivery droneReported2017-12-29