Droneliner Designed For Shipping Containers

A British company says its proposed cargo drones can carry up to 80 standard lightweight 20-foot shipping containers using "hybrid turbofan" engines that can use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogen. Droneliner is proposing two models of its massive aircraft, the DL 200 that can carry 200 tons and the DL 350 that can pack 350 tons 6,500 nautical miles. The all-up weight of the big one is 600 tons. "Droneliner can reduce the cost of airfreight by more than 70% and bring it down to levels comparable to sea freight while also reducing delivery time and emissions," the company said in its announcement.

The smaller aircraft will hold more than 40 containers on two levels and the big one will take 80 containers on three levels. The drones are remotely piloted rather than autonomous, and the company says the lack of crew and accommodations for them saves a substantial amount of money. The have a unique double trussed airfoil design that the company says has "ultra low drag." The company didn't mention a cost or what ground infrastructure might be required for the massive airframes.