BULGARIA's Dronamics has been granted EUR2.5 million (US$2.6 million) from the European Innovation Council (EIC) for its drone cargo technology, reports London's Loadstar.
Dronamics CEO Svilen Rangelov said the firm expected to start commercial services throughout the Mediterranean region between Q2 and Q3 next year.
In May, the Bulgarian company received an eu light UAS operator certificate from Malta's civil aviation authority, allowing it to operate throughout the EU.
The new funding will be seen as a wider EU endorsement of its business plan and the firm believes better point-to-point capability, with the ability to land at airfields that have almost no infrastructure, is enough to defy the conventional logic of economies of scale.
For a 350 kilogramme load, Dronamics claims, its Black Swan drone could produce as little as 135 grams of CO2 per tonne-kilometre, compared with 755 grams for belly freight on a 747-400 aircraft.
Said Mr Rangelov: 'We are proceeding with the testing programme and development. R&D takes time, especially for hardware, and even more so in aerospace.'
He said the grant would cover the R&D programme and the further development of our droneport technology.
He added that Dronamics would be working with Zero Petroleum to offer carbon-neutral synthetic-gasoline-powered flights from the outset.
'We're working to make sure we have the quantities [of the fuel] we need as Zero ramps up production,' he said.
SeaNews Turkey
Dronamics CEO Svilen Rangelov said the firm expected to start commercial services throughout the Mediterranean region between Q2 and Q3 next year.
In May, the Bulgarian company received an eu light UAS operator certificate from Malta's civil aviation authority, allowing it to operate throughout the EU.
The new funding will be seen as a wider EU endorsement of its business plan and the firm believes better point-to-point capability, with the ability to land at airfields that have almost no infrastructure, is enough to defy the conventional logic of economies of scale.
For a 350 kilogramme load, Dronamics claims, its Black Swan drone could produce as little as 135 grams of CO2 per tonne-kilometre, compared with 755 grams for belly freight on a 747-400 aircraft.
Said Mr Rangelov: 'We are proceeding with the testing programme and development. R&D takes time, especially for hardware, and even more so in aerospace.'
He said the grant would cover the R&D programme and the further development of our droneport technology.
He added that Dronamics would be working with Zero Petroleum to offer carbon-neutral synthetic-gasoline-powered flights from the outset.
'We're working to make sure we have the quantities [of the fuel] we need as Zero ramps up production,' he said.
SeaNews Turkey
