Freight company wants to use Natilus N3.8T as ‘feeder’ • Pilot & Aircraft

SAN DIEGO – US cargo carrier Ameriflight has signed an initial contract with Nautilus for twenty unmanned Nautilus N3.8T Kona cargo planes. The company is one of the largest US freight carriers serving more than 200 destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America.

Natilus says it currently has a pre-order portfolio worth more than $6 billion for 460 aircraft from Volatus, Astral Aviation, Aurora, Dymond and logistics firm Flexport (signed with options for two 100Ts, among others). a third and to invest $900 million in Nautilus).

Kona will have Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) turboprop propulsion and will carry 4.3 tonnes of cargo over a range of 900 nm (1,667 km) at a speed of 220 kts (407 km/h). The Nautilus N3.8T is estimated to offer 60 percent more cargo volume than traditional aircraft of the same weight, while reducing costs and CO2 by 50 percent, the manufacturer says. The device has now completed its second wind tunnel test and is expected to be available from 2025 onwards.

Nautilus integrates three specific technologies into its designs: a blunted wing body (BWB) design, remote pilot control, and standard container standardization.

In addition to the N3.8T, it produced larger turbofan-powered designs such as the twin-engine 60T (66 t, 7,670 km), the 100T (110 t, 10,000 km) and the three-engine 130T (143 t, 9,467 km). creates. km).