Dronamics taps Oz’s Quickstep for middle-mile delivery drone production

European middle-mile drone delivery specialist Dronamics has chosen Australian aviation engineering and manufacturing company Quickstep as its first major partner in producing its automated Black Swan UAVs.

The news was delivered during the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow Monday, which has already generated several major announcements by next-generation aircraft companies. Though Dronamics has said it hopes to launch initial commercial middle-mile drone deliveries later this year, its partnership with Quickstep aims to take its flagship Black Swan UAV from a prototype to the mass production level needed to scale that activity.

The first of those production-volume is expected to be delivered in 2023. The companies plan on increasing manufacturing rates of the craft from there, producing “hundreds” annually over the next four years. As part of the deal, Dronamics will also launch middle-mile aerial deliveries in Australia in…