Redesigning the Beacon Payload Holder

The beacon holder went through the same kind of progression. Its job is to carry and protect the beacon payload through flight and delivery, so the first version leaned heavily toward protection — and ended up bulkier and heavier than the aircraft wanted to carry.

Version 2 was about trimming that bulk without giving up protection, and about how the holder integrates with the rest of the airframe rather than sitting on it as an afterthought. Version 3 pushed further on weight and, more importantly, on survivability — reshaping the part so it keeps the beacon safe through a real delivery and the knocks that come with it, while carrying less material overall.

Each revision kept what protected the beacon and shed what didn't earn its weight. The result is a holder that is lighter, better integrated, and more likely to bring the beacon through intact — and it is the version now moving into testing alongside the rest of the payload system.