Kuehne+Nagel, Natilus collaborate on blended-wing freighter study

Logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel will collaborate with aircraft developer Natilus to analyze the performance of a blended-wing-body aircraft in the freighter sector. Kuehne+Nagel plans to share data from its 400,000 customers to determine how Natilus’ blended-wing-body concept improves sustainability and increases operational efficiency in the freighter segment, Natilus co-founder and Chief Executive Aleksey Matyushev told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57289150" align="aligncenter" width="1427"] Natilus is planning a family of blended-wing aircraft like the Kona and the Horizon. (Courtesy/Natilus)[/caption] The data collected from the feasibility study will be shared with the marketplace, including select airfreight carriers, to demonstrate the benefits of complementing existing fleets with the blended-wing design, Matyushev said. Kuehne+Nagel is not providing a financial commitment and will not participate in the flight test phase of the new freighter, but instead will focus on route modeling, integration into existing fleets and reducing carbon emissions in freight forwarding. The logistics provider will also serve as a data integration source stream for the Palantir Warp Speed software that will be used to design and manufacture the aircraft, Matyushev said. Natilus recently reached a deal with Palantir to accelerate the production and delivery timelines for its Kona regional freighter and Horizon aircraft, which are designed to compete with freighter and passenger aircraft in the narrowbody segment. San Diego-based Natilus, which develops autonomous aircraft, plans to build a family of crewed blended-wing-body aircraft that will reduce fuel consumption by 30% while increasing payload capability by 40%, according to a release today. Expanding production, customer orders In March, Natilus announced it had begun the first phase of its production expansion plans, researching locations in the United States to establish a 250,000-square-foot production site capable of constructing sixty of its Kona freighters annually. Natilus hopes to have the facility operational in about three years at a cost of $100 million to $200 million, Matyushev previously told Cargo Facts . The second phase of expansion includes development of a 2.5 million-square-foot facility to produce the blended-wing-body Horizon aircraft, which will initially be built in passenger configuration. Natilus hopes to begin aircraft production at this new facility with a workforce of up to 3,000 employees in the next decade, he said. Natilus received an order for multiple production slots for the Kona freighter from Montreal-based Nolinor Aviation in February after Canada’s Volatus Aerospace signed up for the first Kona production slot in January 2022. The Kona freighter can carry 4.3 tonnes of payload for up to 900 nautical miles at an average cruising speed of 220 knots.

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