Aergility unveils new hybrid cargo drone

Florida-based Aergility has unveiled the prototype of its new hybrid-electric Atlis drone which promises to carry 400-500 lbs of cargo up to 600 miles at 100 miles per hour. Aergility told Cargo Facts that it expects to begin testing a full-scale aircraft this summer, with the first production units to roll out of the factory in eighteen to twenty-four months. [caption id="attachment_56725189" align="alignright" width="560"] Atlis has six rotors and flies like a drone and a gyroplane. (Photo/Aergility)[/caption] Atlis features a 40-cubic-foot cargo bay and derives its power from a 90kW turboprop engine that powers six fixed-pitch, 9-foot-diameter electric rotors. The drone adopts what the company refers to as “managed autorotation technology” (MAT); the four upper rotors of the aircraft allow it to act like a drone for vertical takeoff and landing, but provide lift in forward flight without power driving them, allowing the drone to act like a gyroplane. The autorotation is “managed” because the rotation of the rotors can be controlled and adjusted in a way that maintains net-zero power usage, according to Aergility. Aergility told Cargo Facts that Atlis’ propellers are currently undergoing wind tunnel testing and that the turboprop engine powering its tractor propeller is a multifuel engine using diesel or other fuels. The drone was designed for “last-100-mile” use cases in which a business customer is operating in a remote location, according to Aergility. Atlis joins Elroy Air’s Chaparral and others as unmanned drones in the sub-500lb-capacity segment. Elroy recently said it is partnering with FedEx to test the Chaparral drone by 2023. The Chaparral, which was announced in January , promises to deliver 300 to 500 lbs of cargo over a 300-mile range while powered by a 150kW turboshaft engine. Cargo Facts EMEA will take place LIVE May 9-11 in Dubai. Learn more and register.

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