Engineers of the company Boeing have created a prototype of a drone intended for transportation of cargoes. The current version is capable of carrying a payload of up to 500 pounds (about 227 kg). The fully electric device contains 8 propellers. The basic design is quite large, it consists mainly of metal and batteries. The dimensions of the UAV are 4.6x5.5x1.2 meters, and the mass is about 339 kg. Less than 3 months, Boeing engineers were able to create a new drone and conduct test flights. At the moment, the prototype is very far from the stage of commercial product. Even there is no certainty that he will ever enter the market. The company itself considers it as a flight test stand that will allow developing components of autonomous technologies for future solutions. The work of Boeing in the development of cargo drones is carried out simultaneously with the development of projects by Aurora Flight Sciences.

She is developing autonomous drones and planes and was bought by Boeing last October. Aurora Flight Sciences cooperates with DARPA in the development of some vehicles and technologies, as well as Uber - in the project of a flying taxi. Recently Aurora Flight Sciences demonstrated the possibility of unmanned delivery of troops using a Marine UH-1H helicopter, modified by autonomous systems.

Original article: The developers of Boeing have created a drone, which is capable of carrying loads weighing up to 227 kg (video).