CargoTron is entering the contest to bring medium-capacity freight drones to market with plans for a remotely piloted PD250 model that it says will be able to carry a 250-kilogram (550-pound) payload over distances of up to 600 kilometers (375 miles). The Turkish-UK start-up believes the hybrid-electric vehicle will offer greater operational flexibility than alternative vehicles now in development by being able to operate from a 13-meter (42.6-foot) diameter ground footprint, thanks to an innovative design through which a folding wing is transformed into a landing gear.
CargoTron is targeting business-to-business operations in which the PD250 will interface with first-mile/last-mile and mid-mile/feeder operations, bringing loads to locations where goods can be offloaded from cargo pods onto trucks, potentially including electric ground vehicles. It sees its most likely customer base as large freight logistics groups that could operate across clusters of dispersed bases that might include warehouse parking lots and retail/industrial distribution centers.
