Slovenia’s Pipistrel Aircraft has performed the first hover flight of its Nuuva V300 hybrid-electric cargo drone.
Capable of performing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) operations, the Nuuva V300 is designed to carry a 272kg (600lb) payload over a range of up to 300nm (555km).
“Today’s milestone is a testament to the hard work and innovative spirit of our team at Pipistrel,” says Gabriel Massey, managing director of Pipistrel, a part of Textron eAviation.
“The Nuuva’s first flight demonstrates Pipistrel’s strength in electric propulsion and dedication to advancing the aviation industry through our active involvement in research programs and our successful collaboration with regulatory agencies.”
Power for VTOL manouevres comes from a battery electric system driving eight Pipistrel E-811 electric motors, while a separate internal combustion engine is used in cruise flight.
A second Nuuva 300 prototype will arrive later this year, Pipistrel says.
Autonomous flight is supported by a monitoring operator at a ground control station developed by sister company Textron Systems.
