A young company from the USA wants to conquer the market with unmanned cargo aircraft. The shape is designed to accommodate more cargo.
A long tube with wings on it – that’s what airplanes look like. However, developers are currently also increasingly looking at other designs, such as flying wing, in which the fuselage and wings are one, and blended wing body concepts, in which the wide and flat fuselage flows smoothly into the wings. Russia is researching these types of aircraftAirbus has a draft for a corresponding hydrogen aircraft presented.
In the USA, a startup called Natilus now wants to use such forms to build unmanned freighters. The first and smallest variant called 3.8T, in which the wings are most clearly separated from the fuselage, should have a maximum takeoff weight of 8618 kilograms and be able to fly up to 1667 kilometers. The plane holds cargo with a total weight of up to 3855 kilograms, or as the name suggests 3.8 tons.
One person oversees three planes
The 60T, 100T and 130T are planned as larger variants. For comparison: 130 tons would be about as much as a Boeing 747-8 F can transport. The Natilus aircraft are said to have “more than 60 percent more cargo volume than conventional aircraft for the same weight” due to the different shape and the use of composite materials, which reduces the total operating costs and CO2 emissions for the same route by 50 percent, according to the American Startup in prospect.
The 3.8T is said to be powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprop engines. Natilus does not give any further details about the drive. However, since the company provides information on the tank capacity, it is obviously a conventional drive and not an electric one. The aircraft should operate autonomously with autopilot software, but be monitored by a person in a control center who can supervise up to three machines at a time and intervene.
First deliveries planned for 2025
So far, Natilus doesn’t have much more to show than their concepts and visual visualizations on the computer. There is no prototype yet. First deliveries are planned for 2025. Volatus Aerospace from Canada wants to be the first customer. It specializes in drone operations, such as for inspections and surveillance. It is also active in the business jet charter market through a subsidiary. With the 3.8T, she now wants to enter the regional air freight market.
You can see the Natilus planes in the picture gallery above.