Ameriflight commits to 20 Natilus cargo aircraft
On 26 January 2023, Natilus and Ameriflight announced that both companies signed a purchase agreement for twenty Natilus Kona cargo feeder aircraft. With this agreement, Ameriflight has become the first "real" US-airline to commit to Natilus plan to develop autonomous cargo aircraft. Ameriflight today is operating a fleet of 52 Beech 99s, 25 Beech 1900Cs, thirteen EMB-120s, 41 Metroliners, and three Saab 340s.
Natilus was founded in 2016 and is working on a family of blended-wing (BWB) cargo aircraft that will be remotely piloted. According to the San Diego (CA) based company, it has so far secured commitments for 460+ aircraft. Natilus is working on three aircraft:
- Natilus Kona, a 3.8 tonnes payload short-range feeder UAV
- Natilus Alisio, a 60 tonnes payload medium/long-range UAV
- Natilus Nordes, a 100 tonnes payload long-range UAV
For comparison, a Saab 340F has a payload of 3.8 tonnes, a new built B767-300F 53 tonnes, and a B777-8F 118 tonnes. According to Natilus, their aircraft can carry more cargo volume against lower costs as the BWB-design offers more cargo positions in a smaller footprint aircraft, has lower emissions and fuel costs due to its light carbon fibre structure, and due to being operated remotely and autonomous. The company is claiming that operating a 12-hour flight with a Natilus will cost up to 130,000 US dollars, while operating a comparable sized cargo aircraft costs 216,000 US dollars.
Natilus is planning to produce its BWBs from a new facility at San Diego-Brown Field Municipal Airport (CA) and aims to fly its first full-scale demonstrator in 2024. It's working closely together with the FAA to introduce the autonomous and remote piloted cargo aircraft.
Other companies that have committed to the BWBs are Astral Aviation, Aurora, Dymond, Flexport and Volatus Aerospace.
Illustrations by Natilus.