Another Hybrid VTOL UAV Aims for the Last-Mile Crowd

The race to offer a viable, profitable, cargo capable UAV for 'last mile' delivery has seen another entrant with the unveiling of the RDSX Pelican from A2Z Drone Delivery.

The aircraft leverages a multirotor propulsion system and fixed-wing design to combine the best of both worlds, the efficiency of a fixed wing aircraft and the vertical takeoff and landing performance of a rotary wing. The Pelican, A2Z stresses, refrains from using traditional control surfaces, allowing for an aircraft that is considerably more simple and less complex than competing designs. It meets the 55-lb takeoff weight limitation for Part 107 compliance, carrying payloads up to 11 lbs (5 kg).

Like many of its competing aircraft, the Pelican opts to hover over its delivery site, lowering its cargo down to customer level with a winch. The design is popular, given the relatively small parcel size. It removes the power-hungry process of vertical takeoff, retaining battery charge for greater endurance, and eliminates the liability of operating an octuplet of unguarded, free-spinning propellers in handy reach of easily injured customers.

“Here at A2Z Drone Delivery, our development is not just about maximizing performance, it’s about creating usable tools designed to get work done,” said Aaron Zhang, Founder and CEO of A2Z Drone Delivery, Inc. “A full-service drone delivery ecosystem will need a fleet of short, medium and long-range UAV platforms capable of depositing payloads in an array of settings. The new RDSX Pelican is the highly efficient, long range delivery platform in that last-mile fleet. It is thoughtfully designed to minimize potential points of failure, reducing the overall cost-per-kilometer of logistics operations, all while providing maximum payload flexibility.”

FMI: www.a2zdronedelivery.com