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US start-up to test drones capable of carrying 700 pounds of cargo
VANCOUVER Wash-based Natilus plans on test fly a 30-foot drone -same as a military Predator - in San Pablo Bay, just northeast of San Francisco.
The company hopes to fly the prototype on 30-hour test runs, carrying up to 700 pounds of cargo, between Los Angeles and Hawaii, reported Fast Company online.
Natilus, which has raised US$750,000 from venture capitalist Tim Draper and was incubated at the aviation-oriented Starburst Accelerator in Los Angeles, will power its drones with turboprop and turbofan engines and standard jet fuel, sending them on missions at an altitude of 20,000 feet.
If the summer tests go well, then it's full steam ahead on the Boeing 777-sized model that could carry up to 200,000 pounds of cargo, provided that additional funding and the engineering talent needed to build it materialise.
Mr Matyushev says trips across oceans would cost about half that of current commercial air freight transport runs, travelling a bit slower than manned cargo aircraft.
Since the drones would be unlikely to receive government approval to fly over populated areas, they are designed to take off and land in the water. The expectation is that after landing, they would taxi into a standard port, where cargo would be unloaded using cranes.
The goal is to finish production of the full-scale, over 200-foot drone by 2020, then have it undergo testing and certification before beginning actual commercial flights. Natilus hopes to build hundreds of the drones, some of which will be sold directly to customers - ideally to companies like UPS and FedEx as well as 'medium freight forwarders' like Whole Foods and Costco.
Though Natilus is still several years away from delivering drones, president of the global perishable goods transporter CFI, Chris Connell, said he is 'intrigued' by the company's concept.
'Air cargo is all about speed at high price,' he was quoted as saying. 'Ocean freight is longer transit times at lower pricing. And with certain goods - be it perishables, or goods that are looking for that middle ground - that idea of middle price for middle transit times is that sweet spot.'
Mr Connell said he's used to end-to-end transit times of as much as seven days to send cargo from the west coast to Hawaii by ship. He has the option to pay a premium to send it by air cargo for same-day arrival.
However, in many cases, there could be an argument for the middle ground that Natilus is aiming for, where cargo can be delivered to its destination in about three days, once loading and unloading is taken into consideration.
The company hopes to fly the prototype on 30-hour test runs, carrying up to 700 pounds of cargo, between Los Angeles and Hawaii, reported Fast Company online.
Natilus, which has raised US$750,000 from venture capitalist Tim Draper and was incubated at the aviation-oriented Starburst Accelerator in Los Angeles, will power its drones with turboprop and turbofan engines and standard jet fuel, sending them on missions at an altitude of 20,000 feet.
If the summer tests go well, then it's full steam ahead on the Boeing 777-sized model that could carry up to 200,000 pounds of cargo, provided that additional funding and the engineering talent needed to build it materialise.
Mr Matyushev says trips across oceans would cost about half that of current commercial air freight transport runs, travelling a bit slower than manned cargo aircraft.
Since the drones would be unlikely to receive government approval to fly over populated areas, they are designed to take off and land in the water. The expectation is that after landing, they would taxi into a standard port, where cargo would be unloaded using cranes.
The goal is to finish production of the full-scale, over 200-foot drone by 2020, then have it undergo testing and certification before beginning actual commercial flights. Natilus hopes to build hundreds of the drones, some of which will be sold directly to customers - ideally to companies like UPS and FedEx as well as 'medium freight forwarders' like Whole Foods and Costco.
Though Natilus is still several years away from delivering drones, president of the global perishable goods transporter CFI, Chris Connell, said he is 'intrigued' by the company's concept.
'Air cargo is all about speed at high price,' he was quoted as saying. 'Ocean freight is longer transit times at lower pricing. And with certain goods - be it perishables, or goods that are looking for that middle ground - that idea of middle price for middle transit times is that sweet spot.'
Mr Connell said he's used to end-to-end transit times of as much as seven days to send cargo from the west coast to Hawaii by ship. He has the option to pay a premium to send it by air cargo for same-day arrival.
However, in many cases, there could be an argument for the middle ground that Natilus is aiming for, where cargo can be delivered to its destination in about three days, once loading and unloading is taken into consideration.
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