Italian-Made FlyingBasket FB3 Cargo Drone Nails Its First Urban Transport Flight in Europe

The event was a collaboration between the drone manufacturer, the Italian aerospace company Leonardo, and the country’s postal service provider. Two FB3 cargo drones had to carry payloads of 26 kg (57 lb) of mail from the coordination center of the Italian postal service in Turin, on a distance of 3.9 km (2.4 miles).

While one of the UAVs used a cargo hook system to deliver the payload safely without making a landing, the other drone was equipped with a cargo compartment to carry the package, keeping it more protected from the elements during the flight.

Both drones delivered the payload successfully, marking the first such FlyingBasket mission in a metropolitan area.

According to FlyingBasket CEO Moritz Moroder, the future of logistics lies with autonomous cargo transportation, and this mission demonstrated the huge potential of drones in major urban centers. He added that his drones can already transport up to 100 kg (220 lb), and things are only going to improve in the future, with FlyingBasket’s autonomous solutions being able to increase flexibility and reduce delivery time.

The FB3 cargo drone from FlyingBasket is equipped with eight rotors and a swappable battery. It currently has a flight time between 15 to 50 minutes. It has an empty weight of 70 kg (154 lb) and a payload capacity of 100 kg (220 lb).

In commercial operation since 2020, the FB3 demonstrated its capabilities multiple times so far, in several European countries, proving its reliability in challenging environments. The drone was designed to carry heavy payloads to remote areas that are difficult to access via conventional vehicles, such as mountains, islands, and so on. Watch an older footage of the FB3 below.