News / Dronamics' Black Swan could be set for take-off next year

Drone developer Dronamics is planning a series of pilot projects over western Europe in the first half of next year.  

Speaking to The Loadstar on the sidelines of Multimodal in Birmingham, chief executive Svilen Rangelov said the plans followed the company’s incorporation in the UK.  

“We shifted shareholding to the UK to make it easier for investors, and have landed a few more since,” said Mr Rangelov.  

“I cannot say too much about our planned pilot projects at this stage, other than to note they will be in western Europe and are focused on e-commerce.”  

In the four years since launching, Mr Rangelov and his brother Konstantin – who serves as chief technology officer – have developed a product they are pricing at $100,000. 

Their Black Swan drone boasts a payload of 350kg, with coverage of 1,500 miles, which they claim can reduce transport times by as much as 82% in some regions of the world. 

“Emerging markets are being left behind and road–building costs are increasing, creating greater inequalities, which is why we developed the Black Swan,” Mr Rangelov said. 

“But for it to be worthwhile it needs to be cheap, and it needs minimal infrastructure – including short unpaved runways, a simple set up and central management.” 

Depending on regulators, operations will begin in 2020 or 2021 with the drone operated by Dronamics and a local partner, using advanced autopilots and remote fleet control systems. 

Mr Rangelov said the process has been helped by “understanding” investors, while he believes regulators are fairly “open” to the Black Swan.  

“I think part of the reason comes from the fact you have new designs every week, pushing boundaries, meaning regulators’ time is becoming more limited,” he continued.  

“Our vehicle has little of issue: it runs on a known fuel [gasoline] and is fixed wing, so maybe regulators see us as an easier option. Also, we want to fly between, rather than in, cities.”  

While western Europe may prove the more immediate new development, US government approval for drones developed by Amazon and Google has provided further food for thought.  

Due to the build of the Black Swan, Mr Rangelov said Alaska, Hawaii and Montana may provide fruitful opportunities for Dronamics in the US.  

“And we are also looking at sea-air connectivity from ports, although we are very much just starting to explore this now,” he said. “In many countries, especially in Africa, they are supplied by sea and if the main port is not in the capital, that’s what interests us as they don’t have the connectivity.  

“It may not be our market – maybe they lack the space for the 400m runway [which can be gravel] and also the heavy congestion may prove problematic – but it is worth exploring.”