A lot has changed in the world because of the global pandemic, COVID-19. A positive has been that drone technology has broken through some of the barriers that had been holding back the industry’s true potential. With people needing to quarantine and keep socially distanced, drones have stepped in to become actionable delivery vehicles. Finally! For years companies like Amazon, Google, and Walmart have been promising next or same day delivery with drones. As the saying goes, where there’s a need there’s a way, proved true to enable this possibility.

For the most part, these drone deliveries are what are called last mile delivery options. For the safety of everyone involved, these delivery drones need to be limited by their size, payload capacity, flight time, and range of distance. They are great options for delivering small personal items like meals and medications. But what about being able to use drones to increase cargo logistic capabilities? In 2014, brothers Konstantin and Svilen Rangelov of Bulgaria founded Dronamics to fill in cargo delivery gaps with heavy lift drones.

As stated on the Donamics website, “Our mission at DRONAMICS is to democratize airfreight and lower the cost of shipping everywhere. To achieve this, we are developing a new type of cargo airplane – small, unmanned and extremely fuel efficient. It can transport 350 KG over 2,500 KM for a cost that’s 50%+ lower than other airplanes. It flies autonomously, can be monitored and managed remotely via satellite, and the whole system costs less than a sports car.” The Dronamics platform works off 3 core technologies: standardized low cost drones, standardized low cost droneports, and automated flight control systems. The star of the Dronamic cargo delivery model is the drone itself called Black Swan.

Black Swan took 4 years to develop and looks like a small airplane. It has a 26ft long fuselage and a 52ft long wingspan. Flying at altitudes of 22,000ft, Black Swan can support a payload up to 800lbs over a 1,550 mile range. It has a top speed of 125mph and can be launched from and land on almost any small runway, even one with an uneven surface. Countless small unused airports throughout Europe can be used as basic droneports for Black Swan to make cargo deliveries.

Explaining the difference between the last mile drone deliveries and the delivery possibilities of Black Swan, Svilen said, “They are the bike messenger, we are the cross-country truck.” Still, Black Swan costs less to build and operate than a cargo truck and can cover more ground in less time with a smaller carbon footprint. In June of 2021, Dronamics announced that they had partnered up with one of the biggest logistics companies in Europe to begin drone cargo deliveries.

Since 1871, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has been a leader in Airfreight, Seafreight, Road & Rail, and Contract Logistics. A family owned business based out of Germany, Hellmann has built a reputation for always finding the best solutions for complex logistical requirements. COVID-19 put a lot of restrictions on cargo operations. Airfreight missions were greatly reduced, and shipping ports became extremely backed up causing major disruptions in global distributions.

Now that COVID-19 restrictions are easing up, Hellmann and other logistics companies are scurrying to pick up the slack. “At the moment we are seeing a lot of sea freight being converted into air freight around the world which is underscoring the need for urgent transport options for cargo,” said Jan Kleine-Lasthues, COO of airfreight with Hellmann. “This does not mean that tomorrow we will fly 80% of our freight by drones, but for transports within continental Europe, this is an important addition.” With Dronamics, Hellmann will be able to get large quantities of products to where they need to be in record time. No, these drones will not be delivering goods directly to customer homes, but as Jan Kleine-Lasthues said, “We believe this will be a game-changer in logistics.”

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