DHL, Dronamics seal large drone cargo partnership

Logistics giant DHL International and drone cargo developer and operator Dronamics have signed a partnership agreement to jointly develop a dedicated network for same-day large cargo drone deliveries starting in 2022.

Based on a mutually exclusive arrangement, Dronamics, over the coming years, will build and operate up to 4,000 of its flag-ship “Black Swan” drones for DHL for “middle-mile” drone deliveries in select industries and markets according to a joint statement.

The unmanned aircraft can carry 350kg of cargo over a distance of up to 2,500km at up to 80% lower cost than any aircraft in existence, enabling same-day shipping over long distances for e-commerce, pharma, and time-critical shipments, the companies said.

“This partnership has the potential to generate EUR1.86 billion euros (USD2.1 billion) to Dronamics’ revenues annually, with plans underway to build and operate over 4,000 cargo drones to support the partnership in the coming years,” confirmed Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and chief executive of the tech company.

“We are constantly exploring new technologies to bring value to our customers, and we believe that cargo drones will be an element in the next generation of transportation in logistics. Our collaboration will help to open up opportunities for urgent, sensitive, and time-critical deliveries,” commented Matthias Heutger, DHL’s Senior Vice President, Global Head of Innovation & Commercial Development. The company is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group, which generated revenues of more than EUR66 billion (USD78 billion) in 2020.

DHL is the second large customer Dronamics has signed in three weeks after announcing a partnership with Hellmann Logistics to develop a cross-border cargo delivery service by early next year. Based in London and Sofia (Bulgaria), the company was founded in 2014 by the Rangelov brothers, an economist and an aerospace engineer.