Will This Hydraulically Powered Cargo Drone From Flowcopter Replace Helicopters?

The Scottish company Flowcopter has developed a hydraulically powered cargo drone that can stay in the air for up to 6 hours at a time.

In that time, the drone could cover a distance of approximately 560 miles. The required energy is generated by a fuel engine.

What is special about the cargo drone is that the propellers are not driven electrically, but hydraulically. Flowcopter developed a special displacement pump for the control.

Hydraulically powered cargo drone from Flowcopter

Flowcopter specializes in industrial heavy-lift drones. The company’s slogan is “flying hours, not minutes”. The goal is to develop drones that can make helicopters obsolete.

Think of freight transport and conducting surveys and rescue missions. This means that the drone must be able to fly in extreme weather conditions. The drone must also be able to stay in the air for hours on end.

To achieve this, the company is investing in unique drive technology. Instead of electric…