UAVOS Completes Tests of Unmanned Cargo Delivery Helicopter

UAVOS has performed a successful flight test with the company’s new UVH-170 cargo delivery unmanned helicopter, carrying out an automated delivery that flew from a vendor to a destination and back using pre-selected routes. The flight, which covered a distance of 62 miles (100 km) and lasted for 1.7 hours, delivered 17.6 lbs (8 kg) of critical humanitarian aid cargo without the need to land the helicopter or to use a ground control station on the receiving end.

Watch a video of the flight test:

The UVH-170 UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is designed for commercial operations as well as immediate air response and emergency relief under demanding conditions and tight timescales. The aircraft’s high standoff distance makes it well-suited to humanitarian and disaster relief in areas that may be difficult or dangerous to access by ground teams or manned pilots. The UAS is equipped with a line-of-sight data link (LOS) and a satellite communications data link, which supports Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights.

The capabilities of the UVH-170 unmanned helicopter address many social use cases, such as medical and pharmaceutical deliveries for remote communities and emergencies, as well as economic ones such as mining, oil & gas, and courier delivery. UAVOS’ gasoline-powered unmanned helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 99 lb (45 kg), and a payload capacity of up to 22 lb (10 kg). It flies at altitudes of up to 8200 ft (2500 m) at a maximum speed of 74 mph (120 kph).

Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO and Lead Developer at UAVOS, commented: “As we have seen during the trials, the customers can derive significant benefits from the use of the UVH-170 UAV. As a robust VTOL platform, the UVH-170 does not require any additional take off or recovery equipment, which makes it perfect for delivery to remote areas. The unmanned helicopter has demonstrated the ability to operate in windy conditions with gusts of greater than 14 m/s.”

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