The transport of goods, driven by the phenomenon of globalization, has become a fundamental element of the world economy. The growing dependence of Western economies on Asian producers, in particular, has been a notable trend in recent decades and everything suggests that it will continue the same in the coming years.
The dependence on production in Asia poses significant challenges due to the environmental impact it entails. Maritime and air transport, which have become the backbone of global goods distribution, have seen notable growth, but often at the expense of the environment.
For this reason, the freight transport industry seeks innovative and sustainable alternatives to address the environmental challenges it poses.
Droneliner, a British aerospace company, is ready to take a giant step to revolutionize air freight transportation. The London-based company has announced that it is working on building a more fuel-efficient long-haul cargo plane.
The project has the support of executives and engineers with a long and successful career in the aerospace company. Behrooz Barzegar, former head of aerodynamics at Airbus, and John Roberts, who is behind projects such as the Airbus A380, are part of the Droneliner team. Former Rolls-Royce chief engineer Nicholas Cumpsty has also joined the project.
When looking at the computer-generated images of the cargo plane designed by Droneliner, the first thing that stands out is the shape of the airplane. Unlike conventional aircraft, this model has a rectangular fuselage, instead of a cylindrical one, to optimize cargo space. Containers can be accommodated inside the aircraft more efficiently by taking advantage of the right angles of the fuselage.
Another novelty that the Droneliner presents with respect to traditional cargo planes is that it dispenses with the side door for loading and unloading containers. Instead, opt for a much more practical solution by designing ramps at the front and rear ends that facilitate loading and unloading.
In this case, the challenge of locating a ramp at the front of the plane for the entry and exit of containers is not such. The device is not designed to be manned, so it does not have the usual cockpit reserved for pilots.
The aircraft is equipped with two turbofan engines - also known as twin-flow turbojets - fueled by SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) biofuel. It is a less polluting fuel than current fuels that could even be replaced by hydrogen in the future.
To minimize fuel consumption, the aircraft has a hybrid propulsion system. In this way, operations such as taxiing on the runway, takeoff or landing are carried out using electrical energy.
The aircraft, made of carbon fiber, is 40% lighter compared to conventional aircraft, according to the company. In addition, thanks also to its aerodynamic design, it highlights fuel savings of 83% in relation to other conventional cargo aircraft. This milestone can lead to a substantial reduction in air transport costs, making them practically equivalent to sea transport costs.
Droneliner proposes two variants of its cargo plane concept. On the one hand, the single-engine DL200 with a payload of 181 tons and, on the other, the larger twin-jet DL350, with a payload of 318 tons. The first of these models will be able to transport between 36 and 40 containers distributed over two floors, while the largest will be able to accommodate between 70 and 80 containers stacked on three levels.
The autonomy of the plane, regardless of the model, reaches 6,500 nautical miles, that is, more than 12,000 kilometers.
To be able to introduce this amount of cargo, Droneliner engineers have not overlooked the need to redesign the containers. The solution is to make them from a lighter material than steel, since they do not need to be stacked in large quantities. They even plan to build flat containers to make the most of the plane's cargo space.
Although Droneliner has not made public its roadmap to make this revolutionary cargo plane a reality, everything seems to indicate that at the end of this decade it could present the first prototype. Flights could be a reality from the 2030s.
