Dronamics gets off the ground with test flight

European drone cargo company Dronamics has completed the first flight of its flagship aircraft, the Black Swan, at Balchik airport in Bulgaria.

This milestone is the culmination of months of ground testing and small scale flights. The Black Swan aircraft was remotely piloted by two commercial airline pilots from the Dronamics ground control station.

The Black Swan is able to carry 350 kg (770 lb) up to 2,500 km (1,550 mi). 

The successful flight test validates the company’s licensed cargo drone technology for commercial flights in Europe, set to begin later this year, serving industries such as e-commerce, pharma, spare parts, and perishables.

“Since the day we first imagined what the Black Swan aircraft could look like, we’ve worked towards this flight. Today we’ve made history and are proud to have demonstrated the validity of our drone technology,” said Konstantin Rangelov, co-founder and CTO of Dronamics.

”It’s taken an enormous amount of hard work, belief and drive to prove that what we envisioned works. We can now focus on the next step, the roll-out of our commercial operations, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Svilen Rangelov, co-Founder and CEO of Dronamics. 

Dronamics is Europe’s first licensed cargo drone airline and IATA’s first strategic partner for drones worldwide.

Dronamics has raised a total of US$40 million from early-stage funds and angel investors from 12 countries and is co-funded by the European Union under the European Innovation Council, Europe’s flagship innovation program.