Swoop Aero’s Kite: Next Level Air Logistics Platform

Swoop Aero brings Kite, their newest air logistics platform, to the USA for FAA Certification.

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian Crosby

Swoop Aero, the Australian drone-powered logistics company has unveiled its most advanced aircraft, Kite™. Currently, the company is bringing Kite ™ to the USA for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification, which will propel drone logistics into new heights.

The Kite brings together learnings of operational and real-world experience from Swoop Aero’s ‘Kookaburra’— a previous model that has clocked upwards of 10,000 flights. The aircraft has been developed by Swoop Aero’s experienced team of Australian-based engineers to accommodate swift and sustainable manufacture and production requirements to scale effectively with the unique needs of impact-driven organisations across the world.

Able to travel up to 200km per hour, the Kite can operate across geographical ranges of more than 180 kilometres on a single battery charge with an increased payload capacity of up to 5 kgs. The model relies on Swoop Aero’s technology platform, which provides the full technology stack including hardware, software, and supporting infrastructure. Real-time tracking, supply chain data, capture, and analytics are provided within an integrated technology platform. At Swoop Aero’s Melbourne HQ, a Digital Twin drives insights into system reliability and performance through the use of AI.

Bringing together lessons learned in over four years of operations, the Kite is designed with precision to suit the needs of communities in a range of markets. Some of the critical tasks the aircraft is capable of include delivering pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and assisting with disaster response, minimising human interactions when social distancing is required, providing safe and efficient transport between hospitals, capturing aerial data for terrain monitoring and climate science, and contributing to search and rescue operations.

“Our vision is for a world where seamless supply chains bring emotional and economic prosperity to all they serve. We have developed a sophisticated, agile, and robust technology platform that is the complete infrastructure needed for drone logistics at scale and proven it in the real world. That platform, alongside the Kite, will support delivering our company’s vision as we strive to provide a service to 100 million people in 2025.” said Eric Peck, Swoop Aero’s Chief Executive Officer. “The release and unveiling of the Kite is the sum of listening to our partners’ needs’ and learning from our extensive experience across six countries and three continents to develop a pioneering solution that makes access to the skies seamless to address critical gaps in access to essential healthcare, emergency response, and search and rescue”.

The development of the new aircraft will spur the expansion of the Swoop Aero air logistics platform globally and enable its expansion into the American, European, and Asian markets. With the successful acquisition of FAA type certification for the Kite aircraft expected to occur through 2022, Kite will advance Swoop Aero’s plans to scale its production into new markets.

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.