MightyFly receives US Air Force funding
Aerospace firm MightyFly has been awarded a $1.25 million small business innovation research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract by the US Air Force’s AFWERX technology incubator
The contract will support the development of MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS). The ALMS is a device that allows the company’s ‘Cento’ autonomous hybrid electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo aircraft to load, unload, and deliver cargo automatically.
“To be chosen by AFWERX for this SBIR Phase II contract signifies a vote of confidence in our mission and technical expertise,” said Manal Habib, CEO of MightyFly.
“We are honored to partner with the US Air Force and to leverage our know-how to develop a system that directly addresses agile and expedited logistics needs and provide a major feature that is needed for the successful integration of autonomous aircraft within logistics,” he added.
MightyFly says that its autonomous eVTOLs are ‘ideal’ for a range of uses, including for healthcare and pharmaceutical logistics, as well as for humanitarian and disaster relief.
MightyFly hopes to complete the manufacturing of its third-generation MF100 aircraft later this year.
The company is also scheduled to publicly debut its autonomous cargo aircraft with a series of demonstration flights in Michigan next year, when it will carry payloads of 100lb (45kg).
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.