Poseidon Aerospace develops 50-foot autonomous cargo drone Egret with 4,000-pound payload
Poseidon Aerospace is developing Egret, a 50-foot autonomous cargo drone with a 4,000-pound payload and no cockpit.
Egret’s internal space is dedicated to cargo rather than flight controls and cockpit equipment. The design removes the volume and weight needed for a human pilot. In initial testing and control procedures, the aircraft is not meant to fly without human oversight: a ground control station lets a remote operator use live camera feeds and controls for throttle, flaps, rudders and other flight surfaces.
Poseidon was founded by David Zagaynov, a former Amazon engineer who specialises in logistics, and Parker Tenney, a mechanical engineering graduate who previously worked at Lockheed Martin. Zagaynov described the concept as "the autonomous trucks of the sky" built to move things as cheaply as possible from point A to point B. The company is developing the aircraft to reduce freight transportation costs, though upcoming test flights will be important evidence of its operational capabilities.
The project follows earlier experimental aircraft. Poseidon’s V0 prototype required multiple redesigns before completing a successful flight during testing. The company then developed Seagull, a quarter-scale prototype of its Heron aircraft, designed to operate on water with a lightweight carbon-fibre structure. Seagull has been used in demonstrations with customers and organisations including the Department of War, the Navy and Special Operations Command.
Poseidon expects Egret to undergo testing in Oregon. Zagaynov says it will become the largest cargo drone flown in the United States. The company has raised $60 million in a Series A financing round led by TQ Ventures, which will fund its autonomous aviation development.
TechRadar reports that available information does not specify Egret’s range, cruising speed, fuel consumption or operating costs, leaving its potential freight efficiency unknown. The aircraft’s flight control, communications and reliability still need to be validated before Poseidon can establish how the system performs under operational conditions.