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Elroy Air has developed a transport drone it says can deliver anything from shipping cargo to humanitarian aidhttps://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/elroy-air-has-developed-a-transport-drone-it-says-can-deliver-anything-from-shipping-cargo-to-humanitarian-aid/slidelist/73000129.cms2019-12-27T22:41:36+05:30

Elroy Air has developed a transport drone it says can deliver anything from shipping cargo to humanitarian aid

Dec 27, 2019, 22:41 IST

Elroy Air isn't the only company experimenting with the autonomous VTOL and drone delivery market: Amazon and UPS have already started testing delivery drones.

The VTOL aircraft has a payload of 250 to 500 pounds and a range of 300 miles. It has a hybrid-electric powertrain with lower emissions than a normal aircraft and doesn't require an electric charging station or an airport.

It also has autonomous cargo loading and removing capabilities.

Elroy Air believes that expanding air cargo reach can expedite economic development by delivering goods and necessities to those who are relatively inaccessible because of location or weather issues.

In terms of commercial delivery, the Elroy Air is optimized for the "middle mile" to deliver packages from one distribution center to another center or a commercial business owner, Elroy Air's founder and CEO David Merrill told Business Insider.

The company uses technology and equipment from the car and autonomous or electric vehicle supply chain.

"We spent a lot of time researching, talking to companies that are building new systems that could be useful to us, testing them ... to make sure that they're going to perform the way we need them to so that our whole system works the way we need it to," Merrill said.

The first system will launch in 2020 with a few select shippers, with the hopes of expanding wider in 2021.

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