Startup to launch drone delivery in Israel

Israel-based drone startup Gadfin has entered a five-year agreement with medical logistics company Sarel to begin drone delivery services to eleven hospitals in Israel. The startup is looking to start full operation with the Israel-produced Spirit-One drone in the fourth quarter of 2023, CEO and Co-Founder Eyal Regev told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_56860772" align="alignright" width="460"] Gadfin hopes to become fully operational by the end of 2023. (Photo/Gadfin)[/caption] The Spirit-One drone has a range of 250 km at speeds of 100 km per hour. The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)-capable drone can carry a 5 kg payload and has a maximum takeoff weight of 25 kg. Gadfin is also developing the Spirit-One-HD and Spirit-X, which offer an increased range of 400 km and payload capacity of 15 kg, and a 500-km range along with a 150-kg capacity, respectively. The Spirit-One features folding wings that are deployed during cruise and a fully automated cargo-loading system. For safety, the Spirit-X is additionally equipped with a ballistic parachute system that can deploy in the event a problem arrise during flight to ensure a safe landing. The drone will be integrated into Israeli airspace like any other general aviation aircraft, operating with controlled visual flight rules, Regev told Cargo Facts . Currently operating under a regulatory license, Gadfin is working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel for its type certificate. When the Spirit-One begins operation, it will start with three pickups per day from Sarel’s logistics center in Netanya for transport to the Galilee Medical Center, located a record-setting distance of 100 km away, according to local reports. Gadfin also services a number of other contracts, including one with HP-Indigo to deliver spare parts between warehouses and manufacturing facilities in the South of Israel. The Spirit-One’s 5 kg capacity places it 1 kg above Drone Delivery Canada’s Sparrow drone, which earned a Special Flight Operations Certificate earlier this year to deliver medical supplies in Northern Canada . The medical delivery use-case scenario has also led to major investments in Germany-based Wingcopter , which will deploy up to 12,000 drones across Africa to transport medicine, vaccines and laboratory samples.

Startup to launch drone delivery in Israel

The delivery operation is targeting 60 deliveries per day to 11 hospitals

IndiGo CarGo freighter flights take off between DEL and BOM

Natilus partners with Janicki on drone prototype

Related Posts

Podcast: Merlin New Zealand sheds light on pathway to approval

AutoFlight, A2Z take lead roles in Alatau City AAM ecosystem

Merlin positions Merlin Pilot for 2027 approval in New Zealand

Natilus partners with Janicki on drone prototype

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password