Urban Air Mobility company Volocopter has unveiled the demonstrator of its heavy-lift VoloDrone.

The fully electric utility UAS can carry a payload of up to 440 pounds up to 25 miles. With a standardized payload attachment, the UAS can transport a variety of objects including boxes, equipment and liquids.

“Since the very beginning, we have worked with strategic partners across different industries to develop a product that will provide significant value in their specific use cases,” says Christophe Hommet, chief engineer VoloDrone.

“It is therefore designed as a universal air-lift vehicle, that can be adapted to different use cases by special-purpose implements.”

Capable of being remotely piloted or flown in automated mode on pre-set routes, the VolvoDrone is sized to be compatible with Euro-palette packages, so it has enough space for a sling, a sprayer or other customized equipment.

According to Volocopter, the VolvoDrone provides time and cost advantages over existing platforms, as it can perform challenging missions in industries such as agriculture, logistics, infrastructure and public services.

Some of the potential use cases for the UAS include transporting heavy packages to remote locations, protecting crops in agriculture and lifting large parts on buildings on construction sites. The UAS can also add an air delivery dimension in situations where ground transportation means are compromised due to difficult accessibility.

“Our core business remains Urban Air Mobility and the transportation of passengers. However, the technological platform of the Volocopter can bring outstanding value to a variety of additional applications,” explains Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter.

“With the VoloDrone, Christophe and his team are bringing the benefits of Volocopter technology to the logistics, agriculture, infrastructure, and public services space.”