A new heavy unmanned aircraft of the airplane-type amphibious class for autonomous cargo transportation has been developed in Russia. The craft is designed to operate from land and water and is intended for cargo delivery, monitoring, and rescue operations; the author of the patent is Alexey Nikiforov.
The engineer proposed a high-wing design with a boat-shaped fuselage, retractable landing gear, and floats mounted on pylons.
A single-engine powerplant with a pusher propeller will be positioned above the wing. The wingtips will be bent downward for stability at low speeds and during water landings. The cargo module is removable, with a volume of up to 5.5 m³, which simplifies loading.
The declared specifications are a payload of up to 700 kg, a range of up to 2,200 km, an endurance of up to 11 hours, and a cruising speed of about 185 km/h. The service ceiling is 3,000 m. The development will gain the capability of autonomous navigation without GPS/GLONASS, which expands its use in remote areas.
The craft is expected to perform takeoff and landing even without airfield infrastructure, including water landings. This makes it possible to use the platform for logistics, patrolling, and emergency missions in hard-to-reach areas.
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