Flying Vehicle Company Aims to Move Cargo Better

An eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle company has received U.S. Air Force funding to create a system for expedited logistics.

Electric Aerial Vehicle (EAV) maker MightyFly received the $1.25 million contract from AFWERX, the innovation arm as part of the Air Force Research Laboratory with an annual budget of $1.4 billion.

AFWERX plans to work to streamline the small business innovation research (SBIR) and small business technology transfer (STTR) processes and to create faster proposals to award timelines for small businesses.

An additional goal is to eliminate bureaucratic overhead by continuous process improvement changes in contract execution.  

California-based MightyFly develops fixed-wing, eVTOL cargo aircraft with a capacity of up to 500 pounds with travel speeds of up to 150 mph. 

“The MightyFly team is working to revolutionize expedited logistics via large, autonomous, hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft,” said Manal Habib, CEO of MightyFly. “To be chosen by AFWERX for this SBIR Phase II contract signifies a vote of confidence in our mission and technical expertise. We are honored to partner with the U.S. Air Force and to leverage our know-how to develop a system that directly addresses agile and expedited logistics needs and provide a major feature that is needed for the successful integration of autonomous aircraft within logistics.”

Related:Self-Flying Cargo Aircraft Funded to Test Automatic Deliveries

The MightyFly flying vehicle is designed to load, unload and deliver cargo automatically and service businesses and governments.

The EAV is targeted to “logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, health care, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive and oil and gas industries, for national and state parks, humanitarian and disaster relief organizations and for defense and nondefense governmental agencies,” according to the company.

The company, started in 2019, is funded by Draper Associates, At One Ventures, 500 Startups, Global Founders Capital, Graph Ventures, Halogen Ventures and Side Door Ventures.

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