Developing drone tech ready for lift-off into the crowded skies

Natilus 3.8T Credit Natilus.

Drone technology is fast developing into a scalable and rapid delivery system. The latest technological advance coming out of the US is the first Natilus 3.8T autonomous aircraft, with the first production delivery spot secured by Volatus Aerospace.

Up to now the drone designs have had relatively small payloads. But the Natilus aircraft features a wide, blended-wing geometry, similar to NASA and Boeing’s X-48B, which the company claims will drastically reduce drag and allow the drone to carry 3,855kg over a distance of 1,667km, or 905 nautical miles.

“[The 3.8T] is a ‘feeder’ freighter, focused on connecting regional/rural locations with the larger supply chain,” Aleksey Matyushev, Natilus founder and CEO, told The Loadstar. “It can be used for connecting the Caribbean…