The autonomous and electric drone APT 70 can carry up to 35kg and fly for 60km at a speed of 120km per hour.
A few words to describe the characteristics of the cargo drone that Bell is testing and then introduce to commercial flights next year.
The first flight of the APT 70 dates back to 9 months ago: after countless hours of flight with remote control, it started flying autonomously three weeks ago.
Everything is bigger in Texas
Apparently the rule does not apply only to steaks and cowboy hats: this vertical take-off with four take-off proves it.
APT 70 is the largest commercial cargo drone to take flight: 1 weather and 80cm long, 2 meters and 70cm wide. The weight is also considerable: 136kg, with at least 30kg additional in two slots in the wings.
"When people think of drones, they always imagine those light and cute aircraft," he says not without irony Scott Drennan, Vice President of Bell's Engineering Division.
Drennan also takes care of drone sector, with the commercial version for goods transport and the "taxi" version for passenger transport. “When you're dealing with reality, though, the most useful transportation is the one that carries the most weight,” concludes. And it is not wrong.
How APT 70 flies
This drone dude has, as mentioned, 4 engines that can be set up vertically for comfortable take-off, then go horizontally for flight. All while maintaining an enviable maneuverability, of course.
Its “broad shoulders” will allow it to carry a heavier load, or multiple loads to be delivered at scheduled stages before returning to base.
The future is giant
The road seems traced: the company declares that the platform on which it built its APT 70 is totally scalable, and can go well beyond the current 35kg load.
Hold fast: in the planning phase there is an APT 880, a monster capable of carrying 400kg of cargo into the skies.
