Reshaping the unmanned aerial vehicle landscape
with the coaxial advantage

SoldierMod talks with Paul Fermo, VP, Business Development at Ascent AeroSystems

Download article as PDF

Did you know the sycamore leaf served as the inspiration for Leonardo da Vinci's "aerial screw" design - a 15th-century precursor to the helicopter? Today, this complex yet elegant design has been successfully adapted not just to helicopters, but to modern drone technology as well.

But what are the benefits of using this unique form factor? Why did Robinson Helicopter Company acquire a UAV manufacturer that designs and builds small UAV platforms based on this complex but elegant design? We sat down with Paul Fermo, VP, Business Development at Ascent AeroSystems, to find out.

Q: Ascent AeroSystems talks about the unique coaxial advantage. Could you explain the benefits over other vertical take-off devices?

A: Combining coaxial propulsion technology—two, counter-rotating rotors center-mounted on the same axis—with our unique cylindrical form factor results in a UAV platform that is far more rugged and more capable than comparably sized quadcopters and multirotors. Why? The laws of physics and aerodynamics favour the coaxial over other vertical takeoff/landing aircraft configurations, which means better performance from a smaller, easier-to-handle system, in any weather. Beyond the science of it, our unique coaxial approach offers significant logistics and operational benefits.

It's compact, making the coaxial form factor significantly easier to transport, store, launch and recover. It's up to 75% smaller and 50% lighter than comparable conventional multirotors. The simplified, yet robust airframe structure is inherently stronger, more rugged and more damage resistant. With critical components sealed within the body, our coaxial platforms are built to endure rough handling, harsh environments, adverse weather, and high winds - all the conditions that conventional multirotors often cannot withstand.

It also offers greater efficiency. The dual, centrally located rotor discs provide greater total lift area, resulting in superior thrust, range, endurance, and payload capacity compared to similarly sized multirotor systems.

Built on a modular, open architecture platform, the coaxial design enables rapid payload integration, reconfiguration, and capability upgrades, allowing adaptability across diverse and evolving mission requirements.

Q: Defense operations need secure, ready-to-go, dependable platforms to support operations. How is Ascent providing a complete solution?

A: Our coaxial drones provide a complete solution for defense operations by combining mission-ready reliability, modular flexibility, and all-environment performance in a compact, NDAA-compliant platform.

Together, the following capabilities ensure that Ascent's coaxial drones are not just aircraft, but durable, dependable, future-proof force multipliers in even the most complex operational environments.

• Secure and compliant: Fully NDAA-compliant and free from foreign-sourced components, Ascent's platforms meet U.S. government security standards and supply chain requirements necessary for approved use across federal and defense agencies.
• Mission-ready: Designed for rapid deployment, Ascent platforms require minimal setup, can be launched from confined spaces, and are optimized for field use with minimal logistics burden.
• Rugged and all-weather: The coaxial design allows for sealed, centrally protected components that withstand harsh weather, dust, and rough handling, ensuring high operational availability in austere environments.
• Modular and scalable: Open architecture enables fast payload swaps, sensor upgrades, and integration with third-party systems, allowing commanders to adapt to evolving mission needs without swapping airframes.
• Dependable Performance: Greater thrust efficiency, stability in high winds, and longer endurance give Ascent platforms a tactical edge over traditional multirotors.

Q: If we look at Spirit and its defense uses, can you discuss the multiple problems they can solve?

A: The Spirit is a lightweight, modular, and highly ruggedized coaxial drone purpose-designed for rapid deployment and frontline use in virtually any mission profile. It's tactical-grade and mission-ready. Importantly, it's affordability, accessibility and mission flexibility solves growing problems on the front line as well, from squad-level ISR to security and compliance.

Spirit provides immediate situational awareness at the tactical edge, even in high-wind, GPS-denied, or confined environments where others fail. Its sealed coaxial design enables reliable performance in rain, snow, and dust, conditions that often ground traditional quadcopters, resulting in unmatched dispatch reliability.

Its small form factor and field-replaceable components reduce logistical burden and support agile, expeditionary missions, making it easy to transport and deploy rapidly. The cylindrical design is also common launch tube (CLT) compatible, allowing Spirit to be deployed from ground, air and maritime platforms.

Deployable without operational risk from foreign-made components, Spirit delivers all of this capability in a secure and compliant way.

Q: How about the NX30's load capabilities, can you discuss the multiple problems they can solve?

A: The NX30 is a larger, coaxial UAV capable of carrying significant payloads over extended distances. It has been designed to support more strategic mission requirements.

With a load capacity of up to 15 lbs. and modular mounting options, it offers flexibility to carry a range of payloads, including heavier EO/IR sensors, communications relays, SIGINT packages, or logistical payloads. This adaptability makes it suitable for a wide variety of operational needs.

The platform acts as a force multiplier by enabling autonomous resupply, remote sensor emplacement, and longer-endurance real-time overwatch, all without putting personnel at risk.

Its efficient coaxial propulsion system supports extended mission duration by allowing longer flight times and operations at higher altitudes compared to similarly sized multirotors.

Despite the breadth of its capabilities, the NX30 - like Spirit - maintains a low logistics, launch and recovery footprint. Its coaxial configuration enables vertical takeoff and landing from tight or unimproved areas.

Together, Spirit and NX30 give defense users a scalable, future-proof UAS solution set. From ultra-portable tactical ISR to heavier-payload, long-range missions, the common coaxial architecture ensures simpler training, shared maintenance workflows, lower total cost of ownership, and consistent operational reliability across mission types.

Q: Situational awareness is critical to field and urban operations for numerous reasons could you talk us through Helius and its benefits?

A: Ascent AeroSystems' Helius is a 249gram, ultra-lightweight drone. It is purpose-built to deliver dependable situational awareness in field and urban operations where speed, discretion, and ease of use are mission-critical.

The key here is rapid, reliable, real-time situational awareness, because it really matters. In dynamic environments, particularly dense urban terrain or contested field conditions, operators need real-time intelligence to make fast, informed decisions. Whether it's identifying threats, assessing structures, or locating friendly forces, small-unit awareness can mean the difference between mission success and failure.

Helius delivers that advantage. At just under the regulatory threshold for weight, Helius avoids many of the airspace and training restrictions imposed on larger systems, enabling broader deployment and use by more personnel.

Unlike other nano drones that struggle in wind or degraded weather, Helius uses Ascent's cylindrical form factor and coaxial architecture to deliver superior stability, control, and durability even in challenging conditions - all from a palm-sized frame.

Helius is field-ready and rapidly deployable. With its compact design and no-tool setup, it can be deployed in seconds from a pocket or pouch. This is especially ideal for time-sensitive missions.

Finally, it has a minimal acoustic and visual signature. Its discreet operation allows teams to gather critical intel without alerting adversaries. In close-quarters or urban reconnaissance, this is a significant differentiator.

These capabilities make it suitable for a range of operational use cases, including rapidly deployed reconnaissance, line-of-sight extension in urban or mountainous terrain, search and rescue, and immediate overwatch for squad manoeuvres.
In short, Helius brings high-end situational awareness to the individual operator, without the cost, complexity, or weight of larger systems. It offers unmatched utility in today's fast-moving operational environments.

Q: Ascent AeroSystems may be a name that some of our readers may not be aware of. Could you tell us about the company and any news you feel would be pertinent to our readers?

A: Ascent AeroSystems does what no other American UAV OEM can. We design and manufacture all-weather coaxial drones for commercial, industrial, public safety and defense markets.

Ascent's unique cylindrical, coaxial airframes stand out from competitors in each weight class, offering unparalleled flight performance, payload capacity, and reliability compared to conventional multirotor configurations.

In 2024, Ascent AeroSystems was acquired by Robinson Helicopter Company. This was a significant move, as it provides a manufacturing capability and credibility that many others in the space do not have.

Backed by 50+ years of proven aerospace manufacturing success, Robinson has fielded more type-certificated commercial helicopters than any other OEM. Like Robinson, Ascent platforms have been designed, developed and produced with FAA certification in mind. Today, they are manufactured in the same facility, using the same aircraft-grade materials, and following the same FAA-certified process as any type-certificated aircraft.

Ultimately, the Robinson-Ascent relationship represents a doubling down on the companies' shared aviation DNA.

The pairing gives Ascent the ability to rapidly scale production—positioning it well to meet the growing demand for small UAS, a capability that will be much harder for many US-based UAV manufacturers to achieve. The ability to quickly scale production combined with the inherent flexibility of Spirit and NX30 to incorporate new and emerging technologies as they are needed positions Ascent well to deliver mission-focused solutions in real-time, while also evolving and elevating operational capabilities even as mission requirements change.

For more information please visit:
https://ascentaerosystems.com