The massive aircraft are designed to reduce carbon emissions and save transportation expenses by 60%. A California-based company called Natilus is developing massive autonomous cargo drones that it claims will reduce the cost of air freight by 60% and its carbon emissions by 50%. According to the corporation, more than 440 of these planes have already earned $6 billion in preorders, and at least two of them will be delivered to Flexport, a fast-growing freight forwarding company.
The difficulty
Shippers are forced to choose between cost and speed when moving freight over long distances. Although air freight may deliver goods in a day as opposed to weeks on carrier ships, it is six times more expensive and produces a lot more carbon emissions than marine freight. Like passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft feature wings in the center of a tube-shaped fuselage. Since most cargo is transported on rectangular pallets, there is still a sizable amount of space even when the cylindrical cargo compartment is completely loaded.
The cargo drones from Natilus have diamond-shaped freight chambers that allow them to carry up to 60% more cargo than equivalent-sized conventional aircraft. Their improved “blended wing body” design should improve their fuel efficiency and lower their environmental impact. The autonomous flight capabilities of cargo drones mean that customers won’t have to pay extra for a crew to fly with them. However, until rules allow for full autonomy, they will need to pay someone to drive the vehicles remotely.
Natilus has put its cargo drones through two wind tunnel tests to assess its design. The four models of the aircraft that will eventually be manufactured include a short-haul variant with a 3.8-ton payload, a medium/long-haul variant with a 60-ton payload, and two long-haul variants with 100- and 130-ton payloads. The smallest drone will roll off the assembly line first, and deliveries are scheduled to start in 2025. The larger picture: Even while Natilus’ drones produce fewer pollutants than normal freight planes, its reliance on fossil fuels is not ideal because other companies are attempting to develop electric aircraft that produce no emissions. It’s also too early to tell whether the cargo drones will save as much money as Natilus promises because they haven’t flown yet. But judging by the $6 billion in preorders Natilus has received, it appears the company is doing something that the whole shipping sector wants to get involved in.
A US company that runs helicopters all over the world, Bristow, is interested in cargo drones. Bristow has declared its desire to purchase up to 100 freight drones from Elroy Air, a Californian startup. In contrast to the current generation of passenger-carrying Electric Vertical Take-Off (Evtol) aircraft, which have all-electric power, the Elroy Air cargo drones would have a hybrid electric engine, a tiny turbine that creates electrical power and operates on aviation gasoline. The drone can recharge at existing locations and is not reliant on docking spots for electricity thanks to its hybrid design. It also uses less gasoline than a helicopter does.
Bristow is exploring using the Elroy drones to help its operations in areas like West Africa where the offshore oil industry needs to move equipment and wants to save money by forgoing the use of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. A massive multi-engined, vertical take-off drone being developed by Elroy Air can carry a 500 lb (226 kg) load up to 480 kilometers (300 miles). Kofi Asante of Elroy Air conducted research on autonomous trucks for Uber’s freight division. He notes that the concept of a cargo pod being fastened to the chassis of an autonomous truck and subsequently released also applies to cargo drones. It’s unlikely that you’ll be placing an order for drone delivery to your home in the air not too soon. However, it appears that the demise of one vision of a drone has made room for the growth of a different, more realistic one.
