FPT Industrial and Forvola broke the Guinness World Records for the heaviest payload lifted by a drone during FPT Industrial’s Tech Day event in Turin, Italy, on November 23rd. Forvola’s megadrone, with its 16 propellers, lifted a box full of FPT Industrial spare parts weighing 101 kg to a height of almost 1.5 meters for more than one minute and three seconds.
The record was officially certified by Guinness World Records on December 6th, 2018. The previous record belonged to the University of Oslo, Norway, whose drone lifted 61 kg to a height of one meter for 37 seconds in 2015.
Hosting the Forvola record was a statement of FPT Industrial’s commitment to innovation and the importance the Brand is according future technologies. In the future, design, production and service of powertrain solutions will be ever more connected and smart. For this reason, FPT Industrial’s Tech Day 2018 was dedicated to 4.0 Powertrain Technologies, during which visions of technologies that are changing the industry were discussed. It was the perfect occasion for the record attempt, given the potential Forvola megadrones have for spare parts delivery – even in remote places -, to transport devices capable of giving engine assistance when needed, and as a tool to leverage precision farming activities.
Forvola’s drone is the world’s first customizable megadrone currently on the market. It has a power of 10 to 20 kW, can carry weights up to some 200 kg and fly for 30 minutes or more, depending on the payload.
The megadrone can be customized in terms of size, configuration and accessories, according to specific customer requirements. Together with its flexibility, Forvola’s product is also easy to manage and cost-efficient. Today, Forvola drones can be used in multiple situations, including rescue in dangerous areas, cargo handling in the maritime sector, to support firefighters or civilian protection organizations, to help ensure safety near shorelines, and as a support on construction sites.
The drone record was another successful FPT Industrial accomplishment – the Brand had already achieved three other records in 2018. In March, FPT Industrial broke the Guinness World Record powering the fastest diesel powerboat, from FB Design, which reached a speed of 277.5 km/h. With its sister brand New Holland Agriculture, FPT Industrial powered the Braud 9090X grape harvester, which achieved the record for most grapes harvested in eight hours (197.6 tons, corresponding to nearly 200,000 bottles of wine). The third record was established in June, also for speed on water, when its partner AllBlack Racing team completed the Cork-Fastnet-Cork route in two hours, six minutes and 47 seconds (average speed 62.75 mph / 100.99 km/h).
FPT Industrial is a brand of CNH Industrial, dedicated to the design, production and sale of powertrains for on and off- road vehicles, marine and power generation applications. The company employs more than 8,000 people worldwide, in ten manufacturing plants and seven R&D Centres. The FPT Industrial sales network consists of 73 dealers and about 800 service centres in almost 100 countries. A wide product offering, including six engine ranges from 42 hp up to 1,006 hp, transmissions with maximum torque of 200 Nm up to 500 Nm, front and rear axles from 2 to 32 ton GAW (Gross Axle Weight). FPT Industrial offers the most complete Natural Gas engines line-up on the market for industrial applications, including engine ranges from 136 hp up to 460 hp. This extensive offer and a close focus on R&D activities make FPT Industrial a world leader in industrial powertrains.
Source: Press Release
Please explain to me the different classes which exist. 100 kg`s is not much compared to a lot of other drones, i.e. the K-Max, or Global Hawk for that matter.