SOFIA, Bulgaria - Svilen Rangelov sports an impressive beard. It's eight years' worth of growth he says. The beard dates back to when he and his younger brother, an aerospace engineer by training, formed Dronamics as Europe's answer to the emerging market for cargo drones. He agreed with his brother Konstantin that they would only shave their beards after the first flight of the drone they've been building in their native Bulgaria, Michael Dempsey reports for the BBC. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
22 December 2022 - The Dronamics Black Swan unmanned cargo UAV aims to connect more remote areas across the European Union, United Kingdom, and other areas outside the EU zone with aircraft that can take off and land on short airstrips and deliver cargo approximating the load one could bring via a van - roughly 770 pounds.
The company plans to charge per kilogram or per charterered trip and has a stated range of 1,500 miles, which is within the range of any EU cargo hub.
The Black Swan will be powered by a Rotax engine driving a single propeller at the rear at an altitude of up to 20,000 feet at 125 MPH. The Black Swan was certified as CarbonNeutral this spring and its certified engine runs on biofuels as well as synthetic fuels, generating significant carbon emission savings without the challenges of electric technology.
German logistics giant Hellmann tells the BBC it plans to use the Black Swan drones to connect Greek Islands to provide more frequent cargo deliveries.
Related: Flirtey to certify and expand production of the Flirtey Eagle drone delivery system
Related: DroneUp completes first "smart city" drone delivery in Ontario, Calif.
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
