Sjekk de voldsomme vyene hvor droner liksom blir noe annet enn det man tenker på, noen kjemper: https://tinyurl.com/mus2axvu Merk deg at motorene er konvensjonelle fossile.
Som du ser er skrogformen noe som er "in" akkurat nå. Den ble først utforsket av Boeing med skalamodellen X-48B:
AMERIFLIGHT ORDERS 20 AUTONOMOUS CARGO AIRPLANES FROM NATILUS
·
JANUARY 27, 2023
·
Ameriflight has agreed to purchase
20 autonomous freighter aircraft from Natilus, the company announced on
Thursday. The Dallas-based Part 135 cargo airline says it is eyeing the Natilus
Kona, an unpiloted short-haul feeder aircraft, to support its expedited
supply-chain services.
The
announcement comes just over one year after Ameriflight revealed its
intention to convert its existing aircraft to
have autonomous flight systems created by Merlin Labs. At the time, the
company cited the ongoing shortage of commercial pilots as the main
reason for automating its fleet. It also said it would initially operate
flights with semi-autonomous capabilities before progressing to fully
autonomous flights once the FAA will allow it. The airline additionally noted
that the new autonomous cargo airplanes were not intended to replace its
current fleet; rather, they will complement its existing operations.
Ameriflight, the
nation’s largest Part 135 cargo carrier, operates more than 100 aircraft
and employs about 150 pilots. The company makes about 1,500 weekly flights
to 200 destinations across the United States. Its primary business is the
transportation of high-priority air freight to and from remote areas for
overnight express carriers such as UPS.
Natilus,
a California-based start-up, has been developing unpiloted cargo freighters
since 2016. The company says its autonomous aircraft will transform
the air freight business by lowering the cost of cargo
transport and helping to address the pilot shortage. In lieu of a pilot on
board the aircraft, a remote pilot would operate multiple simultaneous flights
at a ground control station.
“Innovation
in design allows the Natilus fleet to carry more volume at lower costs, and the
exploration of new sustainable fuels will lower carbon emissions,” said Aleksey
Matyushev, co-founder and CEO of Natilus. “The Ameriflight agreement is a major
move forward for the air cargo industry to strengthen the regional supply
chain.”
The
company’s family of unpiloted cargo freighters includes four blended-wing-body
aircraft. The N3.8T, also known as the Kona, is expected to have a payload of
4.3 metric tons and a range of 900 nm. Its flagship N130T model is expected to
have a payload of 143 metric tons and an intercontinental range of 5,112 nm.
The two intermediate-size designs are the N100T (110 metric tons/5,400 nm) and
the N60T (66 metric tons/4,142 nm).
The
aircraft will be powered by a pair of pusher turboprops (the N3.8T) or two or
three upper-wing-mounted ducted fans for the larger models. Their engines will
run on jet-A or sustainable aviation fuel. Natilus says its designs offer a 60
percent reduction in the cost of operations and cut carbon emissions in
half.
Natilus
says it has already begun building a prototype of the N3.8T, and the company
aims to begin flight testing with it in August. It expects to make its
first deliveries in 2025 but has yet to state the basis for type
certification.
With
this latest order, Natilus now holds purchase agreements for more than 460
aircraft and has an order backlog worth $6.8 billion. Ameriflight’s 20 Kona
aircraft are valued at $134 million.
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