Droneliner Autonomous Cargo Plane, the Future of Air Freight?
Shipping goods across vast distances often comes down to a simple decision for companies: speed or cost? Ocean freight, although more affordable, can take weeks. On the other hand, air freight offers speed but is expensive, limited in capacity, and has a larger carbon footprint.
Enter Droneliner, a UK aerospace startup with a groundbreaking proposal. They’ve introduced an autonomous cargo plane design that promises to reduce air freight costs by over 70%, potentially bridging the cost gap between air and ocean freight. This dramatic price cut results from a concoction of factors: heightened fuel efficiency, slashed operating costs, an efficient loading system, and an impressive payload capacity.
Unique to Droneliner’s design is the plane’s rectangular shape with smoothed corners, optimized for transporting standard-sized shipping containers, reducing wasted space. They’ve proposed two models: the DL200, holding 40 lightweight containers (made of plastic and vinyl, weighing 80% less than their metal counterparts) with a 200-ton payload, and the DL350, accommodating 70 containers with a 350-ton payload. These figures dwarf the Boeing 747-8’s 137-ton capacity.
Autonomy brings additional advantages. Without a need for a cockpit, both ends of the plane can open for more efficient loading and unloading. The absence of crew also negates pressurization requirements, cutting weight and costs further. To navigate initial safety concerns of flying sans pilot, Droneliner contemplates using retired military airfields away from dense populations.
However, challenges remain. While the design exists, actual construction and regulatory approval loom large. Droneliner’s design director, Mike Debens, approximated a $10 billion investment to transition from design to production, a sum yet to be sourced. But with an advisory board boasting aerospace industry veterans, including those from Airbus and Rolls Royce, the future looks promising for Droneliner’s ambitious vision.
