There are drones for a multitude of applications, and many of them are focused on deliveries to individuals, taking their order by air to their home. But that is not efficient at all except in the special case of people who live very isolated in the middle of nowhere.

Other people have approached it differently. They have designed a cargo drone, which is like a small cargo plane without a pilot, to carry light loads from one small airport to another. And then from there distribute the orders to the customers by other more conventional means.

This is the case of  Dronamics  (you can see their website at www.dronamics.com  ), who have designed a drone (actually it is a small plane) that moves with a conventional motor and is capable of transporting 350 kg at a distance of up to 2,500 km (1,500 miles), with an estimated cost per kg of 5 euros.

A drone of this type can move through almost all European countries, as well as make shipments between islands, etc... It seems quite versatile, and has the drawback of using a conventional combustion engine that is polluting, but being small it doesn't pollute much. And it has the advantage of using well-known, reliable and cheap technologies.

As can be seen in the photo, it is like a small plane, which is dedicated to the transport of goods, and since it does not carry crew members, many of the operating costs are eliminated, but it has the drawback that it must work autonomously. and I guess it will take a bit for the manufacturer to certify it in order to receive the necessary flight permits.

The manufacturer (which is Bulgarian) intends to have a prototype ready to fly at the beginning of the year 2023, to try to capture the interest of potential customers, one of which is the German logistics company Hellmann, which is interested in transporting goods between the Greek islands.

In Europe there are more than 3,000 small airports that could be used to transport goods, and thus reach end customers more easily.

The idea seems good, and there are other similar ideas, but it is not easy to go from an idea or a prototype to getting an approved product. It takes a lot of time and money, because in the world of aeronautics the safety of flights and people is very important.

Time will tell who manages to succeed.

By Amador Palacios

Reflections of Amador Palacios on topics of Social and Technological News; other opinions different from mine are welcome

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