MightyFly Performs “Autonomous Flight, Cargo Operations for USAF”
MightyFly, a manufacturer and operator of autonomous, fixed-wing, hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft, has successfully conducted a live flight demonstration for the U.S Air Force (USAF) as part of its SBIR Phase II contract under the Department of the Air Force’s AFWERX program, reports a press release.
The demonstration, held at the New Jerusalem Airport last month, “showcased MightyFly’s autonomous Cento cargo aircraft and its patented Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS),” explains the release. “The Cento executed a DoD-relevant mission, demonstrating autonomous flight, cargo loading, unloading, and onboard package handling and balance management.”
The cargo craft transported two large boxes from origin to destination.
Before takeoff, the ALMS-equipped Cento autonomously positioned and secured the packages into its cargo compartment. The release continues, “The aircraft then closed its nose cone, took off, flew to the destination, landed and ejected the packages without human intervention. It then continued to a third destination.”
The demo also included autonomous handling of representative packages across key sectors, including healthcare, retail, logistics, manufacturing, disaster relief and defence.
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The recent Donald Trump Presidential Executive Order supporting domestic eVTOL adoption, highlights the use of these aircraft for “medical response, cargo transport and rural access missions,” that align with MightyFly’s model.
This Executive Order presents an opportunity for the company as it positions itself as a national asset in next-generation logistics, offering high efficiency services, minimal infrastructure requirements, and low operational costs for both commercial and defence applications.
MightyFly’s Cento has a payload capacity of up to 500 lbs; a range of 600 miles; and a speed of 150 mph. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company was founded in 2019.
There is financial backing from Draper Associates, At One Ventures, 500 Startups, Global Founders Capital, Graph Ventures, Halogen Ventures and Side Door Ventures.
MightyFly was named a “Top Supply Chain Startup to Watch” in 2022 by Business Insider.
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(Images: MightFly)
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