Next-gen aviation startup MightyFly says it’s the first company developing a large, autonomous electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo drone that’s been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for a flight corridor.
Why it matters: It’s a big milestone for the emerging company — and for the drone delivery world more broadly.
Driving the news: The corridor, connecting California’s New Jerusalem and Byron Airports (about 20 miles apart as the crow flies), will allow MightyFly to conduct a variety of flight tests with its latest drone, the 2024 Cento.
- The company also got the go-ahead to test the Cento beyond the operator’s visual line of sight while using a chase plane.
- That’s key. – Beyond visual line of sight operations are essential for enabling large-scale drone logistics.
Zoom in: The latest Cento variant is a hybrid drone about the size of a small single-seater aircraft, and can carry 100 lbs. of cargo up to 600 miles.
- It’s designed for fully autonomous operation, down to loading and unloading packages.
- It can even move packages around inside itself to adjust weight and balance as necessary.
What they’re saying: “The use case is B2B expedited logistics,” says CEO and founder Manal Habib, an MIT and Stanford grad who formerly worked at drone delivery startup Zipline.
“Think of deliveries from a manufacturer to suppliers. Think of deliveries from a lab to a hospital, or from a warehouse or pharmacy, as well as to improve deliveries to an oil rig or to a farm or a mining site, as well as for DOD use cases.”
What’s next: MightyFly is planning to demonstrate the Cento’s capabilities to potential commercial operators, plus the U.S. Air Force.
Expect a Series A investment round soon, Habib adds, to help the company scale manufacturing.
Source: Axios