It doesn’t get the attention of drone technology for delivery of parcels or medical supplies, but there is some interesting activity in the market for drone aircraft for air cargo shipments.

Supply Chain Digest Says...   Nautilus says the software in its ground control system minimizes pilot training and workload, permitting a single operator to fly three of the cargo drones at once.     What do you say?   Click here to send us your comments       Click here to see reader feedback

Case in point: New age freight forwarder Flexport last week made an advanced purchase commitment for two unmanned aerial vehicles for dedicated air cargo shipments.

The order was placed with drone developer Nautilus for that company’s large cargo UAV, called the 100T. The agreement includes an option for Flexport to acquire a third UAV.

US-based Nautilus, started in 2016, says it is producing the world’s first purpose-designed and manufactured autonomous aircraft for air freight transportation.

Nautilus last week said it has advanced purchase commitments worth about $6 billion for as many as 440 UAVs of varying sizes In addition to Flexport, other company’s placing advanced orders include Volatus Aerospace, Astral Aviation, Aurora and Dymond.

Nautilus says drones provide a great solution between ocean shipping and traditional air cargo, the latter of which is often shipped in the bellies of passenger aircraft.

In a statement, Nautilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev said: “Today, there are only two ways to move cargo internationally, by air and by sea. The difference between the cost and time of these two modes is dramatic. Sea freight is currently 13 times less expensive than air freight, but 50 times slower in delivery.”

He added that “Nautilus intends to revolutionize the transport industry by providing the timeliness of air freight at an affordable cost reduction of 60%, making air cargo transport substantially more competitive.”

Nautilus says the use of UAV’s will reduce carbon emissions by 50%.

(See More Below)

The 100T model will have two turbofan engines, 110 metric tons of cargo capacity, and 5,400 nautical miles of range. The first production run of the craft is expected in 2025.

Nautilus says the software in its ground control system minimizes pilot training and workload, permitting a single operator to fly three of the cargo drones at once. Its cloud-based navigation system interfaces with satellites to communicate with and control the craft, and also has an on-board autopilot backup.

What are your thoughts air cargo drones? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback section below

Your Comments/Feedback