World’s first amphibious cargo drone emerges in Spain

Spain-based Singular Aircraft has developed the world’s first amphibious drone, ideal for operations in remote areas. Twelve FlyOx aircraft have already been produced and six more are in production. [caption id="attachment_56861332" align="alignright" width="450"] FlyOx is the world’s first amphibious cargo drone. (Photo/Singular Aircraft)[/caption] FlyOx was born of a need for firefighting capabilities, with the first drone able to scoop water out of lakes, Chief Executive Miquel Colom told Cargo Facts . “All has been designed, manufactured, tested and certified in-house,” Colom said. “All done by Singular Aircraft.” In cargo configuration, the FlyOx can haul up to 1,580 kg of cargo and travel up to 1,940 nautical miles. The remotely piloted drone has customizable features, including the ability to deploy from a 40-foot container with assembly in less than four hours. The drone is powered by 95-octane fuel rather than conventional aviation fuel. “We customized our own engine and we decided to avoid special fuel, as aviation fuel is not easy to find in many countries,” Colom said. These features have made the drone attractive to customers for remote areas, conflict sites and humanitarian delivery, he noted. The FlyOx integrates into its airspace by flying under instrument flight rules and is equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponders like a conventional aircraft, following air traffic control commands over VHF radio. The FlyOx takes four to six months to build, Colom said. While Singular waits for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to establish rules for remotely piloted aircraft systems, the drone is following NATO military processes such as STANAG4671, a rule based on Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations . “We are fully involved in the certification process, and it is expected to finish in two years,” Colom said. On payload capacity, the FlyOx is most like other autonomous conventional aircraft like variants of the Cessna 208B being developed by Xwing and Reliable Robotics , and other drones such as the Tengden Twin-Tail Scorpion D . Cargo Facts EMEA, the essential event for stakeholders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will take place live Feb. 6-8 in Dubai. Register today.

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