Elroy Air to go public via $1 billion SPAC merger with Inflection Point

Cargo drone developer Elroy Air agreed to go public through a merger with blank-check firm Columbus Circle Capital Corp II, valuing the autonomous aircraft maker at about $1 billion including debt.

"The U.S. has made drone dominance a national strategic priority, and that priority is only meaningful if American industry can actually deliver," said Andrew Clare, chief executive officer of Elroy Air.

The deal values Elroy Air at $800 million pre-money, with the combined entity expected to have an enterprise value of roughly $1 billion. More than $165 million in committed PIPE capital — including $65 million funded at signing — will support commercial-scale production of the company's Chaparral drone through a manufacturing partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Elroy Air's Chaparral is a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing drone capable of carrying more than 500 pounds of cargo over 450 miles. The company has accumulated a demand pipeline exceeding 1,400 aircraft representing over $5 billion in potential revenue from customers including FedEx, Bristow Group and Barq Group. It also has active defense programs with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Air Force spanning more than six years.

The company has secured a $200 million joint venture agreement with Barq Group to establish an international manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, with initial flight operations in the UAE planned for 2027 and local production starting in 2028. Elroy Air was also selected for the U.S. Department of Transportation's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, established under the Unleashing American Drone Dominance executive order.

Inflection Point, the SPAC's management team, has prior and pending transactions in the national security and aerospace sectors including Intuitive Machines, USA Rare Earth, Merlin Labs and Quantum Space. "Elroy Air is emerging at the intersection of two massive secular shifts: the modernization of defense technology and the automation of global supply chains," said Michael Blitzer, chief investment officer of Inflection Point.

Barclays served as exclusive financial and capital markets advisor to Elroy Air, with Cantor and Cohen & Company Capital Markets advising CMII. The combined company will list on the Nasdaq under the ticker ELRY.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.