Drone manufacturer Volansi has announced it has completed the first-ever autonomous ship-to-ship drone deliveries. In the demonstration, two vertical takeoff and landing-capable unmanned aircraft made three successful deliveries between a U.S. Navy ship and a U.S. Coast Guard vessel off the coast of Key West, Florida, marking a milestone in the Navy’s recent push for new unmanned logistics concepts to support its fleets, says an article published on the drive website.
Volansi models
The deliveries were made by two separate Volansi models: the VOLY C10, capable of carrying payloads up to 10 pounds within a range of 42 miles and the VOLY M20, with a cargo payload capacity of 20 pounds, a range of 350 miles, and a top cruising speed of 75 miles per hour.
VOLY 10
The VOLY 10 is capable of carrying 10 pounds ( kg) over a range of 42 miles ( km). That Uncrewed Aerial System carried out two flights, taking off from a military Sealift Command Expeditionary Transport, flying 15 nautical miles and successfully landing on the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter William Trump.
The UAS features a 4+1 configuration, meaning four motors are used for its VTOL capabilities, while a rear-mounted pusher prop takes care of thrust for fixed-wing flight.
VOLY 20
The VOLY 20 has greater range and cargo capacity. It utilizes eight motors for the VTOL portion of its flights, largely due to the extra weight and cargo capacity.
The VOLY 20 can carry 20 pounds of cargo over a whopping 350 miles, with a cruising speed of 75 miles per hour ( kph). Its mission was one nautical mile, carried out in 20 mph winds to the Gotcha, a USCG Panga, before returning to the Military Sealift Command.
Volansi says this ship-to-ship drone delivery is a big deal, Why is that?
Remote locations and austere environments can impede delivery of critical parts or supplies in theater and make collecting information for situational awareness on missions difficult or, at times, impossible.
Volansi’s fleet of UAS VTOL capability removes these limitations thanks to runway independence, a small operational footprint and, on some platforms, the ability to carry cargo and sensors simultaneously.
Volansi CEO Dr. Will Roper is proud of this achievement: This is a remarkable milestone that signals a bright future for autonomous cargo delivery. Volansi is the first to deliver cargo by UAS systems with ISR capability off a government vessel utilizing a single ground control station.
With it’s cutting-edge VTOL capabilities, Volansi is well-positioned to deliver critical cargo supplies to our defense customers for time-sensitive missions in order to save time, money and lives. We look forward to expanding our fleet in order to deliver heavier payloads and travel further distances in the near future.
Summary
- Drone manufacturer Volansi has announced it has completed the first-ever autonomous ship-to-ship drone deliveries.
- The deliveries were made by two separate Volansi models: the VOLY C10 and the VOLY M20.
- The VOLY 10 is capable of carrying 10 pounds ( kg) over a range of 42 miles ( km).
- The VOLY 20 has greater range and cargo capacity. It utilizes eight motors for the VTOL portion of its flights.
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Source: thedrive.com
