MightyFly cargo drone tech tapped for US Air Force program

Ascendant cargo delivery drone startup MightyFly has been recruited by the US Air Force’s emerging tech development unit, AFWERX, in a contract initially focusing on the company’s fully autonomous self-loading payload system for next generation freight aircraft.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, MightyFly announced Wednesday that it had been tapped by AFWERX in an initial $1.25 million contract under the US Air Force’s SBIR Phase II program. As part of its participation under the agreement, the company will work to adapt the Autonomous Load Mastering System for its cargo drone to various aircraft.

In doing so, the startup joins the ranks of advanced air mobility heavyweights like Archer and Joby that were previously called to develop emerging tech created for civil air transport to potential military applications.

A key attraction of AFWERX geeks to MightyFly’s payload system is its fully autonomous as well as automated functionality.

Developed for MightyFly’s MF100 third-generation hybrid cargo drone, the loading solution uses a conveyor belt that automatically scoops up freight from the ground and stores it in the aircraft’s hold. Upon arrival at delivery destinations, it then securely deposits packages for retrieval. 

The entirely automated device obviates the need for human intervention, both simplifying and speeding the freight handling process.

Selection of the payload conveyance tech by AFWERX for SBIR Phase II development is expected to be the start of MightFly’s participation in the US Air Force program, with later inclusion of its hybrid cargo drones themselves also possible. 

Those craft are built with 100 pounds of payload capacity, and a 6 foot x 19 inch x 18 inch bay capable of carrying up to 212 small USPS packages. 

News of its recruitment by AFWERX coincided with MightFly announcing it had received new investment of an unspecified value from early-stage tech venture capital specialist Draper Associates. 

The overlapping events, said company CEO Manal Habib, provided considerable lift to the startup’s efforts to influence the development and adaptation of next generation air activities.

“The MightyFly team is working to revolutionize expedited logistics via large, autonomous, hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft,” said Habib. “To be chosen by AFWERX for this SBIR Phase II contract signifies a vote of confidence in our mission and technical expertise. We are honored to partner with the US Air Force and to leverage our know-how to develop a system that directly addresses agile and expedited logistics needs, and provide a major feature that is needed for the successful integration of autonomous aircraft within logistics.”