Boeing has just revealed a prototype drone capable of carrying far more than a camera. The company commissioned engineers to design and build a cargo drone and the prototype they designed is capable of carrying 500 pounds of cargo.
The vehicle is huge and much bigger than anything DJI sells. It weighs 747 pounds and is 15 feet long, 18 feet wide and 4 feet high. Four arms hold two props each. It took Boeing engineers three months to design and build the prototype, which has just completed a test at the Boeing Research Laboratory in Missouri.
"This cargo freighter is another milestone in our Boeing eVTOL strategy," said Greg Hyslop, Chief Technology Officer, Boeing. "We have the opportunity to really change air transport and transportation, and we will consider this day as a major milestone of this trip."
The company did not release official flight capabilities, including range or speed. These will come on time and chances are that this vehicle will never be produced but used as a test bench for technologies that will lead to cargo and vehicle drones.