heavy-lift

Cargo drone startup Elroy Air has announced a double milestone with the initial test flight of its C1 Chaparral freight UAV, which in turn represents what is thought to have been the sector’s first trial of a turbogenerator-hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) plane.

Italian enterprise UAV developer FlyingBasket has announced the biggest development in its seven-year existence with the commercialization of its FB3 heavy-lift drone, which is capable of hauling payloads of up to 100 kilograms in remote mountain settings and populated urban zones alike.

Canadian drone hardware and systems company Draganfly is extending the operational capacities of its Commander 3 XL UAV with the introduction of a hybrid-powered version that prolongs the craft’s flight time up to three hours.

California maker of large-scale special purpose Pelican drones, Pyka, has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to operate its highly automated agricultural UAV for crop spraying missions – an achievement that may facilitate the company’s planned deployment of its cargo delivery craft as well. 

Scaling efforts by Italian cargo and heavy-lift drone developer FlyingBasket have received further lift with longtime strategic partner and European aviation and defense giant Leonardo assuming a direct equity stake in the Milan-based company.

California heavy-lift drone specialist Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT) is moving to accelerate the growth of its business activities around the world through a pair of developments, including a purchase agreement for its flagship Firefly craft with Indian company UAV Systems Private Limited.

California heavy-lift UAV startup Parallel Flight Technologies has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to harness its boundary-pushing development of drone technology to objectives benefiting people and the planet – the most recent example being its new partnership with environmental NGO Island Conservation to preserve native flora and fauna under threat of extinction from invasive predators.

Toronto-based Drone Delivery Canada announced the first sale of its Condor heavy-lift UAV in a deal with the government’s Transport Canada agency.

Specialized heavy-lift drone producer Parallel Flight Technologies has been tapped by USDA Wildlife Services to adapt its Firefly UAV developed to assist firefighters for a natural wildlife preservation project aiming to eradicate a destructive population of invasive rats on Wake Island.

The drone services division of UK delivery and vertiport company Skyports has announced it will be integrating the heavy payload electric vertical takeoff and landing UAVs by manufacturer Pyka into its fleet, thereby considerably expanding the goods its craft can haul in a single flight.

A pair of innovative European aviation companies have partnered up to earn a chance to develop a very heavy-lift drone for the UK’s Royal Navy – a craft the duo says will carry supply payloads of up to 700 kilograms to offshore ships.

Just a month after its mighty Rhaegal-A “Alpha” transportation UAV hauled a world-record-setting 829-pound payload, California start-up Sabrewing this week landed a multimillion-dollar contract to provide its craft to the Arabian Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMC) to support Saudi Arabia’s stated goal of becoming a global center of heavy-lift drone activity.

European aircraft and aerospace giant Airbus says it successfully tested a small-scale demonstration version of its future “cargo copter” drone, which is designed to transport 250 kg of payload across a maximum range of just over 300 kilometers.

Canadian drone hardware and services company Draganfly has presented three new UAV products at a trade conference in Las Vegas, including a heavy-lift and a smaller, versatile craft it has likened to a Swiss Army Knife.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking to accelerate development of a heavy-lift drone in support of the Royal Navy’s vision to revolutionize its resupplying of ships at sea by using UAVs rather than traditional aircraft like helicopters.

In addition to the large influx of both military-grade and consumer UAVs from abroad to Ukraine forces battling Russian troops, Kiev will soon take delivery of specialized UK heavy-lift cargo drones that have been tested by the British Navy in various scenarios.

Singapore companies F-Drones and Marco Polo Marine are teaming up to create what they say will be the world’s first large-scale, electric aerial delivery UAVs designed to service offshore wind farms – and at 90% less cost than current transport options.

Edinburgh company Flowcopter is trying to bridge a major problem in deploying UAV on extended offshore missions: Smaller craft have neither the heft nor battery life to handle the exacting conditions, while gas-powered engines aren’t well-suited to quick adjustments rotor flight requires. Its solution is a long-distance, heavy-lift drone equipped with hydraulic motors that effectively regulate spin rates.

Have a weighty payload you need to spirit across the sky farther than other UAVs can handle? You might want to check out the Firefly heavy-lift drone, which can lug 100 lbs. of gear cargo up to two full hours.

Integrated drone services company Volatus says it is teaming up with uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) producer Avidrone Aerospace to offer clients autonomous cargo drone delivery services in markets around the world.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to establish itself as a global center of new drone technology by focusing on development of heavy-lift drone design, production, and operation. The push is being led by the country’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF).