Same-Day Air Delivery: MightyFly 100-Lbs-Payload eVTOL Enters 600-Mile Range Test Stage

The cargo transport company has been granted the critical good-to-go papers from the FAA - a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorization for long-haul flights of their UAV. The transport drone is a hybrid vertical take-off and landing-capable vehicle with an estimated range of 600 miles (965 km) and a payload capacity of 100 lbs (45 kg).

Although the range and lift capacity are impressive, the Cento has several other features that set it apart from the uncrewed aerial transport solutions crowd. The aircraft can reach 150 mph (240 kph), weighs 355 lbs (with maximum cargo), and has a relatively small footprint.

13.1 feet long and with a wingspan of 16.7 feet (four meters by five meters), the Cento requires a landing pad area roughly equivalent to two parking spots. The battery pack of the eight electric motor array used for take-off and landing can charge mid-flight, thanks to the hybrid propulsion system.

A ninth motor drives the aft push-propeller used for horizontal movement, and a 30-hp (30.4 PS) ICE generates electricity to recharge the batteries while the aircraft is airborne. This feature allows the Cento to achieve shorter delivery times by eliminating the need for static on-ground charging stops.

The MF-100 Cento cargo bay )sized 6 ft x 1 ft x 1 ft / 1.8 m x 30 cm x 30 cm) can transport 96 small U.S. Postal Service packages. The loading/offloading is performed via a conveyor belt system, reducing human intervention in drop-off and pickup ground station operations.

The FAA clearances received by the logistic company for their UAS means that MightyFly can now begin test deliveries with 100 lbs. (45 kg) of payload at medium and high altitudes (below 5,000 feet / 1,500 meters) over ranges as extended as 600 miles (965 km).

While the testing phase began in December 2022, the company plans to upscale its drone to a more efficient, heavy-hauling, 500-lbs (227 kg) cargo capacity model.

The MF-100 comes with end-to-end autonomous delivery capability thanks to its eVTOL ability. The drone’s redundancy safety system, Distributed Electric Propulsion, monitors the rotors’ operations during landing. If one of the propellers underperforms or fails, the remaining units compensate the lift to allow a safe touch-down maneuver.

MightyFly aims to provide a breakthrough in the most cost-challenging segment of logistics – the last-mile delivery from end-hubs to the final recipients. The traditional business model consists of ground transportation, which is the most cost-intensive due to inherent physical limitations.

By moving this operation above ground, MightyFly hopes to shortcut the most common obstacles – like traffic, road systems structure, or delivery address ease of reach. The 2019-established enterprise managed to secure $5.1 million in seed funding in April 2021 and is now looking for logistics partners to expand its above-ground arrow-straight business model.