System to Ensure Same-Day Drone Delivery

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One of the toughest challenges logistics companies face today is meeting the demand for same-day delivery. Cargo drones can bridge this gap in the logistical supply chain. Efficient flight control systems are required to support these flights. 

Advanced flight control technology was selected for an autonomous cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). 

Pipistrel, a small-aircraft designer and manufacturer from Slovenia, has selected Honeywell’s Compact Fly-By-Wire system for its Nuuva V300 cargo UAV. 

Fly-by-wire computers act as the “brains” of an aircraft’s flight controls by operating them electronically and can be found inside nearly all large fixed-wing aircraft today. 

The product is intended for smaller autonomous cargo and urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles and adds stability and performance by driving flight controls electrically, without heavy hydraulics, control cables, etc.

The lightweight, compact flight control system has features derived from decades of expertise in fly-by-wire systems for airliners, but it’s much smaller. 

The Nuuva V300 cargo UAV is a long-range, large-capacity, autonomous UAV. It will take off and land vertically with battery power, meaning it does not require a runway, and has significantly lower operating costs than helicopters. It can carry loads up to 300 kilograms (around 660 pounds) for more than 300 kilometers (around 186 miles), making it an ideal solution for deliveries to areas traditionally accessible only by helicopter, according to suasnews.com.

“We see this cargo aircraft paving the way for the passenger-carrying Pipistrel 801, our proposed air taxi for Uber Elevate, as both aircraft share similar architectures. Honeywell’s expertise and the proven capabilities of its Compact Fly-By-Wire system will provide airliner levels of safety for our novel air vehicles,” according to Pipistrel.