MightyFly has unveiled its new generation Cento aircraft, an autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft designed to carry 100lb (45kg) of cargo for 600 miles (965km).
The new aircraft incorporates several novel features, including a sleek design that enables operational efficiency, the ability to accommodate a wide range of payloads’ center of gravity, autonomous center of gravity determination, and a larger cargo bay.
The third generation Cento also includes:
- A tandem wing design to enable a large trim of the aircraft center of lift;
- The use of structural conductors to increase reliability and reduce weight;
- A composite structure to reduce empty weight and increase payload capacity;
- A modular design to optimize maintenance;
- The use of the canard as landing gear to lower drag and drive efficiency.
The new eVTOL will also present improved operational efficiency through MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) component, which will enable the aircraft to autonomously open and close its cargo bay door, receive and eject packages into and from the cargo bay opening, move and secure packages in the cargo bay via an internal positioning and locking system, and sense and compute weight and balance.
These tasks will be done autonomously, without requiring an operator to reposition the packages inside the aircraft, which will help minimize the ground operation resources required to run and operate the MightyFly autonomous aircraft.
The aircraft’s cargo bay is significantly larger than its predecessor and will enable the delivery of larger packages and goods, including the traditional cooler boxes used to transport donor organs for transplantation and blood bags. It will also benefit additional use cases and businesses in the industries of logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, and oil and gas, as well as organizations performing humanitarian and disaster relief work, and government’s defense teams executing various logistics and resupply missions.
“We are very excited to show everyone the tremendous work and ingenuity performed by the MightyFly team throughout the last year, and to unveil the 2024 Cento that couples innovation with efficiency in design, maintenance and operation, bringing to the world the key to transform the expedited logistics market,” said Manal Habib, co-founder and CEO of MightyFly.
“MightyFly’s new eVTOL will revolutionize industries such as manufacturing, retail and healthcare, and will transform life in rural and remote areas. All of us at MightyFly are extremely excited to be working at the forefront of a new era of automation and innovation.”
MightyFly will begin its aircraft qualification tests, which include a test plan previously followed for its predecessor aircraft, in February. In the fall of 2024, MightyFly will publicly debut its autonomous cargo aircraft delivery flights in Michigan, demonstrating point-to-point autonomous delivery use cases to partners and potential customers.