Nichols Martin
Boeing has revealed a new electric unmanned aerial vehicle prototype developed to serve as a test bed for the company’s future autonomous and electric propulsion technologies.
The company said Wednesday it designed the vertical-takeoff-and-landing, multi-copter UAV platform to accommodate logistics and cargo payload of up to 500 pounds.
The 747-pound unmanned cargo air vehicle is equipped with eight rotary blades and measures 18 feet wide and 15 feet long.
Greg Hyslop, chief technology officer of Boeing, said the platform represents a step in the company’s eVTOL strategy.
Following a nearly three-month development period, the UAV underwent initial tests at a collaborative autonomous systems laboratory in Missouri.
Boeing’s HorizonX business collaborated with partners from the company’s research and technology division to develop the prototype.
