FedEx Partners With Elroy Air to Test Pilotless Package Drone
- They’ll ferry cargo from one sorting hub to another in 2023
- Gas-electric hybrid can deliver up to 500 pounds 300 miles
FedEx Corp. is partnering with Elroy Air, a startup that makes a large cargo drone, to test moving packages by air with no pilot on board.
FedEx plans to begin experimental flights next year using Elroy Air’s Chaparral aircraft to shuttle packages from one sorting hub to another, the companies said. The hybrid-powered electric aircraft can fly about 300 miles with as much as 500 pounds of cargo in a detachable pod.