Black Swan takes flight

(Spoiler Alert… it was white)
Exactly a year ago today, cargo drone company Dronamics was flying in seventh heaven after being the first middle distance drone company to acquire a commercial licence in Europe.
It looks like today is the day the company dusts up that licence and puts it to good use.
This, after the Black Swan, Dronamics’ flagship middle distance cargo drone completed its first flight in Bulgaria; in a development that could kickstart opportunities for the logistics industry to enhance efficiency in the transportation of products.
The baby that Svilen and Konstantin nursed for nine years is now out of the nest.
Konstantin and Svilen Rangelov, the sibling co-Founders of Dronamics, embarked on their ground-breaking journey almost by chance. Konstantin, who was studying aerospace engineering in the Netherlands, kept asking Svilen to bring him his favourite cheese from back home in Bulgaria, as shipping it by air was too expensive and by road, too slow.
This sparked a conversation between the two brothers that would ultimately lead to their light bulb moment.
Svilen, with his entrepreneurial drive and an economist’s perspective, challenged Konstantin to find a solution himself: how could goods, be it a piece of cheese, a crucial piece of equipment or medicines be swiftly transported across continents in the most optimal way?
And with that, the Black Swan was conceived.
There was no immediate information on how long the drone flew for, or where it actually went, but in their announcement, Dronamics said the flight was completed at Balchik Airport on the shores of the Black Sea in north eastern Bulgaria.
However, what we know of the Black Swan – which was white for this flight – is that it can fly for distances up to 2,500 km (1,550 mi) carrying loads as heavy as 350 kg (770 lb); something that the company proprietors say is 80 percent faster, 50 percent cheaper and provides up to 60 percent lower carbon emissions than alternative modes of transport, including airfreight.
For this mission, the Black Swan was remotely piloted by two commercial airline pilots from the Dronamics ground control station.
“Since the day we first imagined what the Black Swan aircraft could look like, we’ve worked towards this flight. Today we’ve made history and are proud to have demonstrated the validity of our drone technology,” said Konstantin Rangelov, Dronamics co-founder and chief technology officer.
The company added that this successful flight test is the final thumps up it needs for licensed cargo drone technology for commercial flights in Europe, set to begin later this year, serving industries such as e-commerce, pharma, spare parts, and perishables with a fast and cost-effective solution to meet evolving consumer needs.
“It’s taken an enormous amount of hard work, belief and drive to prove that what we envisioned works. We can now focus on the next step, the roll-out of our commercial operations, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of Dronamics.
The company is ready to hit the ground running later in the year, after signing several partnerships with airports across Europe where the Black Swan will be taking off and landing at, and also securing storage for cargo.
The cargo drone is already in production after the company signed up two manufacturing agreements for production in Australia and Europe.
Born out of two brothers’ desire to find a quicker, greener and more affordable way to deliver goods, Dronamics says it is on a mission to enable same day delivery for everyone, everywhere.

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