Page 159 - Inbound Logistics | April 2017 | Digital Issue
P. 159
LOGISTICS OUTSIDE THE BOX
THE LAST MILE
Global Air Freight:
Unmanned
In the workshop with the Natilus founding team.
When air freight is too Giant Drone in the Zone
expensive and ocean
freight too slow, can this 17
Number of times faster a Natilus drone can
drone carry the day? deliver cargo than a standard cargo ship.
50
Percent fuel burn reduction of a Natilus drone
ention drones in logistics and most compared to a Boeing 747.
people envision compact flying
Mobjects carrying small packages. 30
Startup drone company Natilus says:
Estimated hours of travel time from Los
Think bigger. Instead of modest last-mile Angeles to Shanghai, compared to 504 hours
deliveries, its gigantic aircraft drones aim to for a cargo ship and 11 hours for a Boeing 747.
transport as much as 200,000 pounds of cargo
from one international port to another.
Natilus drones are designed to be $4,200
amphibious, able to take off and land in the Projected operating cost per hour of Natilus
water—meaning no pricey airstrips required— vehicle flight from LA to Shanghai, compared
and then taxi to the port of call. to $25,000 per hour for a Boeing 747.
The company’s plan for take-off is aggressive,
with a 30-foot prototype scheduled for its
first flight in late 2017 and a 140-foot drone 12+
currently in development to begin flights from Miles away from port: current at-sea landing
Los Angeles to Shanghai, China, in 2020. target of Natilus drone.
160 Inbound Logistics • April 2017
