DARPA Lift Challenge winner achieves a 3.84:1 payload-to-weight ratio with a purpose-built 29-pound aircraft By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A Canadian drone company has won a contest sponsored by a U.S. Department of Defense agency, by almost reaching a milestone that’s been compared to the first human breaking a supposed physical barrier by running a four-minute … [Read more...] about Avidrone Pushes Heavy-Lift Drone Performance Toward the 4:1 Barrier
Heavy Lift
Designing a Heavy Lift Drone from the Ground Up: PyroDelta Energy on this Episode of the Drone Radio Show!
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Michael Abdelmaseh talks to host Randy Goers about the engineering behind PyroDelta's patented Capillary Casting process, why the company believes waste heat is one of the most overlooked energy sources in aviation, what it takes to compete in one of DARPA's most demanding drone competitions, and where this technology could lead beyond … [Read more...] about Designing a Heavy Lift Drone from the Ground Up: PyroDelta Energy on this Episode of the Drone Radio Show!
Windracers ULTRA to Map Greenland’s Petermann Glacier
By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill An international team of researchers plans to deploy Windracers’ dual-use heavy-lift drone technology to study the interactions of ice and ocean water in the frigid Arctic region of northwestern Greenland. The study, which is expected to get under way this summer, will be a critical part of the so-called GIANT (Greenland Ice sheet … [Read more...] about Windracers ULTRA to Map Greenland’s Petermann Glacier
Kaizen Signs Agricultural UAV Agreement with Uzbekistan
Kaizen Aerospace, a heavy-lift autonomous aerial systems company, has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Agriculture and the State Scientific-Design Institute "Oʻzdavyerloyiha." The agreement establishes a framework for deploying UAV technologies across Uzbekistan's agricultural sector. Drone Deployment Across 300,000 Hectares The memorandum … [Read more...] about Kaizen Signs Agricultural UAV Agreement with Uzbekistan
TRIPLE7 and JR West Test Heavy-Lift Drone Logistics on Japan’s Hokuriku Shinkansen
This article published in collaboration with JUIDA, the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association. Tokyo-based drone operator TRIPLE7 completed a large-scale cargo drone trial on Japan's Hokuriku Shinkansen line on December 19, 2025. The test, conducted in partnership with West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and JR West Shoji, deployed the DJI FlyCart … [Read more...] about TRIPLE7 and JR West Test Heavy-Lift Drone Logistics on Japan’s Hokuriku Shinkansen
