Startup MightyFly unveiled its 2024 Cento autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft on January 26, 2024 at an event at the company’s headquarters in San Leandro, California.
This pilotless aircraft, designed to perform same-day deliveries of a diverse range of cargoes, has a 100 pound payload (45 kg) and a range of 600 miles (965 km).
MightyFly completed the first 2024 Cento prototype in January 2024, however, this is the third iteration of this concept. A scaled down version of this concept performed its first tests flights already in 2020.
A point of differentiation for the 2024 Cento is that its autonomy extends beyond the flight operations and includes also cargo loading and unloading. The Cento is also fitted with an autonomous load balancing system that allows it to find the optimal position for the different items it transports in the internal cargo bay without any human intervention.
MightyFly expects to start shortly its qualification test flights with the 2024 Cento and, by the fall of 2024 it aims run demonstrations of the aircraft in Michigan for potential customers and partners.
Like other eVTOL and autonomous flight developers, MightyFly is also taking part in the US Air Force AFWERX program, which aims to evaluate and test novel forms of air transportation for military uses.
