Aviation companies Natilus and ZeroAvia have joined forces to develop a self-flying cargo plane with zero-pollution emissions. Natilus, a California-based company specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for air cargo shipping, will incorporate ZeroAvia’s ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine into its blended wing body (BWB) cargo plane.
Traditional cargo aircraft that contribute to the release of pollution that warms the globe may be replaced by this partnership. Although airplanes presently contribute just around 1.9% of the world’s harmful gas pollution, during the next 20 years, the aviation industry is expected to grow on average by 4.3% yearly. It is critical to lessen the aviation industry’s negative environmental effects considering that there are over 5,000 aircraft across American airspace at any given time.
A 19-passenger aircraft powered by ZeroAvia’s ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine has already been successfully flown. ZeroAvia is a pioneer in the development of zero-pollution aircraft. The corporation has collected pre-orders worth $10 billion and has received experimental certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom.
Natilus, known for its self-piloting cargo planes, has expressed confidence in ZeroAvia’s 600kW hydrogen-electric propulsion system and is considering integrating it into its Kona aircraft. The Kona plane, boasting an 85-foot wingspan, stands to benefit from this advanced propulsion option.
While Natilus does not currently operate a fully functional full-size cargo plane, it has garnered a strong position in the industry. The company has announced order commitments exceeding $6.8 billion, with more than 460 pre-orders from major airlines. This indicates that we may soon witness the deployment of their aircraft in the skies.
Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, emphasized the potential of this partnership, stating that integrating the ZA600 as a line-fit engine for Kona could amplify the pollution reduction and cost benefits already of interest to cargo operators.
Aleksey Matyushev, Co-founder and CEO of Natilus, highlighted the companies’ shared commitment to environmental stewardship and their drive to innovate in the air cargo delivery industry.
By combining the expertise and innovations of Natilus and ZeroAvia, this collaboration represents a significant step toward sustainable aviation. It offers a promising solution to reduce pollution in the cargo transportation sector and paves the way for a greener future in air travel.