The Prioria Robotics Maveric is a discontinued unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) marketed as a high-performance, next-generation platform for small and miniature UAV operations. Maveric's bendable wings allow for the ability to store a fully assembled airframe in a 6inches tube.[1]
Maveric can be deployed immediately with no assembly,[2] with a claimed dash speed of 55knot. Marketed as the first smart, customizable SUAS, Maveric utilizes Prioria's proprietary processing platform, Merlin.[2]
Maveric is capable of fully autonomous operation from launch to landing using waypoints,[2] or it can be flown manually by a human pilot via a simple joystick under autopilot assistance.[3]
Maveric was designed for operation by a single user in a military, tactical setting. To accomplish this goal, the airframe had to be small and light enough (2 lb) for a single user to transport, but with large enough wings (28 in) to support the weight of the batteries, cameras, and electronics sufficient for up to one hour of flight-time.[3]
To overcome issues of portability and assembly time, designers employed a bendable-wing design. This design allows for Maveric's wings, which are large enough to meet the desired operational requirements to collapse and wrap around its fuselage and be placed in a 6adj=midNaNadj=mid tube, while remaining in a fully assembled state. This has two advantages. It allows the aircraft to be stored in a small space, and it makes the aircraft capable of immediate launch on removal from storage. The flexible wings were also claimed to produce a dampening effect called "apative washout" that would allow the UAS to be flown in heavy wind gusts.[2]
The bendable wings and bird-like profile were also claimed to produce an effect of biological camouflage.[4]
In 2015, Prioria vendor Condor Aerial alleged that Prioria was providing false specifications for the Maveric UAV, selling a hobby-grade drone at a military-grade price and selling refurbished drones as new. The complaint included allegations that the UAV was easily damaged and also consisted of sworn statements by a prior employee who claimed that then-CEO of Prioria was knowingly falsifying information on government contracts.[5] [6] [7] A report by NOAA documented that their own Maveric drones lasted over six years without mechanical incident over the course of 4,500 combined sorties.[8]
Condor won a breach of contract suit with a jury award of $1.5 million on December 7, 2017, and a writ of execution was assessed on Prioria's assets in January, 2018.[9] [10] The verdict was appealed, but the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 29, 2018, and the appeal has been on hold ever since.[11] [12]
