Cargo Drones
Cargo Drones
Heavy-lift logistics platforms and cargo transport drones.
About Cargo Drones
Cargo drones carry freight with no pilot on board, from a five-pound parcel to several tonnes. At the heavy end, China's state-owned Norinco flew its Changying-8 for the first time in March 2026. Norinco says it lifts 3.5 tonnes and will go into production before the end of the year.
American firms are pitching theirs to the military. In September Textron and Merlin Labs offered the US Air Force a SkyCourier with the cockpit taken out, which they say carries three tons over 1,000 miles. No aircraft has been converted yet. Elroy Air's merger filing values the company at $800 million on $2.4 million of 2025 revenue, with no binding order for an aircraft.
Most cargo flights today are small. Zipline has asked the FAA for up to 220,000 deliveries a day across five Texas metro areas. Twelve Amazon drones made 6,000 trips from one Nebraska warehouse in July and August, the Flatwater Free Press reported.
From 18 November, China's export controls cover the large motors and propellers heavy-lift drones use: motors of 3 kilowatts or more, and blades at least 762 mm from hub to tip.
Every US drone delivery operator with an FAA Part 135 certificate
Coverage
China Adds Drone Motors and Software to Export Controls
Longer-flying drones get looser limits and faster paperwork from 18 November. The faster routes look shut to US buyers.
Elroy Air Seeks $800M Valuation on $2.4M of 2025 Revenue
Its first public merger filing shows a going-concern warning, no binding aircraft orders, and a price built on 2027 forecasts.
Amazon's Omaha Drones Flew 6,000 Trips in Two Months
Twelve aircraft at one site, against an internal target of a million deliveries this year. The gap explains the expansion plan.
Zipline Seeks 220,000 Drone Deliveries a Day in Texas
An FAA draft assessment would let Zipline fly 220,000 deliveries a day from 220 Chargers in five Texas metros, seven times its Dallas-Fort Worth ceiling.
Textron and Merlin Propose Pilotless SkyCourier Cargo Drone
The SkyCourier UX removes the cockpit from a certified twin turboprop and hands it to Merlin's autonomy: three tons, 1,000 miles, half-mile airstrips.
Why a Drone on a Houston Highway Triggered No FAA Report
A Zipline drone parachuted onto Highway 6 on 4 September. No injury, no $500 of damage and no airworthiness certificate means no mandatory report.
Airbound Raises $37M to Undercut Trucks on Delivery Cost
Airbound raised a $37M Series A led by Greenoaks for tail-sitter cargo drones, with DoorDash joining and a 10,000-flights-a-day network planned in India.
Chipotle Expands Zipline Drone Delivery to Two Texas Cities
Chipotle is expanding its Zipline drone delivery network to Fort Worth and Houston after encouraging early results in Rowlett, Texas.
Norinco CY-8: The World's Heaviest Cargo Drone Just Flew
China's Changying-8 cargo drone completed its first flight in Zhengzhou, a 7-tonne MTOW aircraft built for high-altitude logistics and military resupply.
Companies
Zipline
US operator of autonomous drone delivery networks, running medical logistics in Africa and consumer delivery in the United States.
United States
Wing
Alphabet's drone delivery subsidiary, operating commercial package delivery in the United States and abroad, largely with Walmart.
United States
Airbound
Indian autonomous delivery company building blended-wing-body tail-sitter cargo drones designed to weigh less than the payload they carry.
India
Amazon Prime Air
Amazon's drone delivery division, flying autonomous last-mile delivery in the US and UK and attempting a sixfold expansion of its service area in 2026.
United States
Elroy Air
US developer of the Chaparral autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft, contracted by the US Army and heading for a Nasdaq listing via SPAC merger.
United States
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
US defense contractor specializing in high-performance unmanned aerial target drones, tactical UAS, and satellite communications.
United States
Funding
Contracts
U.S. Army
Elroy Air
SBIR Phase III contract to develop an autonomous Group 4 hybrid vertical take-off cargo drone for…