Cargo delivery drone startup MightyFly has bagged a significant contract from the US Air Force for further development of technology related to its autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract worth $1.25 million will given to MigthyFly by the US Airforce's emerging technology development unit AFWERX. The grant is intended to further research on MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS), a pivotal technology helping to make the logistics process completely independent.
The San Francisco-based MightyFly aims to equip enterprises and governments with rapid, low-cost, carbon-neutral cargo transportation options. With the association with the US Air Force, it plans to leverage its "know-how to develop a system that directly addresses agile and expedited logistics needs and provide a major feature that is needed for the successful integration of autonomous aircraft within logistics," said Manal Habib, CEO of MightyFly, in a statement.
The SBIR award is offered to small enterprises that are developing novel technology that has the potential to aid the Department of Defence (DoD). The contract puts MightyFly on the list of other major eVTOL players like Joby and Archer, which have received similar grants to adapt the latest aviation technologies for military applications.
Accelerating logistical operations
MightyFly's ALMS assists cargo airplanes in autonomously loading, unloading, and delivering goods, as well as addressing the most critical accelerated logistics concerns. This will equip businesses and governments to further automation, efficiency, and cost savings.
Designed for MightyFly's third-generation hybrid cargo drone, the loading mechanism utilizes a conveyor belt to independently gather cargo from the ground and store it in its cargo compartment. Upon reaching its delivery destinations, the drone securely deposits packages for retrieval without human intervention. This entirely automated solution optimizes and expedites the cargo handling process.
"It will allow MightyFly's third-generation MF100 aircraft to provide point-to-point, same-day, and accelerated delivery services that are quicker, more efficient, dependable, and cost-effective than current express logistics services," said a statement.
According to the firm, its products are perfect for the logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, and oil and gas businesses, as well as national and state parks and humanitarian and disaster relief organizations.
The firm received an experimental license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its eVTOL and began testing last December. The firm claims that it has finished "test flights of its first and second-generation aircraft, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Cento respectively, in California, and completed over 100 autonomous hover flights," said a statement.
MightyFly Cento
The firm's Cento, formerly known as the second-generation MF-100, is a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft with a cargo capacity of 100 pounds (45 kilograms), a range of 600 miles (965 kilometers), and a top speed of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour).
The fully loaded Cento weighs 355 lb (161 kg) with eight electric vertical-lift fans, one forward propulsion propeller, and a high-wing carbon fiber structure. The eVTOL measures 13.1 feet by 16.7 feet (4 meters by 5 meters) and takes up less space than two compact vehicles, implying that the ground transfer stations required onsite can be two-car places in an existing parking lot.
According to MightyFlt, it plans to complete production of its third-generation MF100 aircraft later this year, to publicly debut its autonomous cargo aircraft performing delivery flight demonstrations with 100 pounds of payload in Michigan in 2024, and to work with partners on Proof of Concept (POC) programs in late 2024 and throughout 2025.
Originally published on Interesting Engineering : Original article