Giant Cargo Drones

RDoug

RDoug

Well-Known Member
Interesting article on large cargo drones.

Made of carbon fiber composites and powered by jet engines, the drones would take off from the water, eliminating the need for landing gear and long landing strips. It would land on water several miles from port before taxiing to the dock, where cranes would unload the cargo.

The amphibious drones would cruise at an altitude of about 20,000 feet and would fly slower than piloted cargo planes.​

These Giant Drones Could Seriously Disrupt the Shipping Industry
 
While I'm generally against the operation of aircraft on and off salt water, at least composite is the way to go I guess.
 
Neat idea but they compared the operating costs of a 747 to their flying pontoon boat. I wonder how the metrics work for a 777 which also carries 200k payload. Also where would they load/unload? They'd have to either a) use existing port facilities or b) purchase land to create their own, which would be expensive on the coats.

I can picture Amazon purchasing them.
 
I don't see how these will affect the shipping industry at all. FedEx and UPS pilots definitely, but the kind of stuff shipped by boat probably won't end up on these just like it hadn't ended up on cargo planes now.

As for port facilities, 200,000lbs of cargo isn't really all that much in the scheme of things. A single pier and a warehouse is all you would need depending on the frequency they would come in.
 
NovemberEcho said:
I don't see how these will affect the shipping industry at all. FedEx and UPS pilots definitely, but the kind of stuff shipped by boat probably won't end up on these just like it hadn't ended up on cargo planes now.

As for port facilities, 200,000lbs of cargo isn't really all that much in the scheme of things. A single pier and a warehouse is all you would need depending on the frequency they would come in.
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I'm giggling at the thought of airline management having to deal with the added hassle of the longshoremen/stevedores handling the freight at the ports.

You didn't like pilot unions? You ain' seen nothin' yet.
 
NovemberEcho said:
I don't see how these will affect the shipping industry at all. FedEx and UPS pilots definitely, but the kind of stuff shipped by boat probably won't end up on these just like it hadn't ended up on cargo planes now.

As for port facilities, 200,000lbs of cargo isn't really all that much in the scheme of things. A single pier and a warehouse is all you would need depending on the frequency they would come in.
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Cargo ships carry roughly 100X if not more the cargo of this 747 sized air boat. So I guessing quite a bit more frequency.
 
I mean great if what you where you want to ship is near the ocean and has decent weather. If where you want to ship is more inland these won't really work.

I'm a bit surprised they haven't made cargo ships autonomous yet.
 
it wouldn't be that hard. Cargo containers are basically intramodal transportation units.

Under the threat of getting my ass kicked, longshoremen are going to be another casualty of automation and robotics much like how basically a Bobcat and one driver does the work of about ten people more effectively.

Soon, one day, you'll download site plans from your civil engineer in Singapore, upload it to your contractor and a flatbed with droids will arrive to level and set down a foundation for the next team of droids to arrive.

Clean coal'll fix dat, :)
 
wheelsup said:
Cargo ships carry roughly 100X if not more the cargo of this 747 sized air boat. So I guessing quite a bit more frequency.
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They're over 100ft shorter than a 747. A lot of cargo is volumetrically limited, not weight. Also the difference in 11 or 30 hours is massive.
The idea that planes fly fast for pilot fatigue is laughable enough that I don't think these guys really have any sort of a handle on the express freight market.
 
Well one of the largest container ships carries 19,200 TEUs, or about 4.3 million pounds of cargo.

So not only does this cargo drone have to avoid other airplanes automomously, it has to avoid all the weekend sailors in their sailboats and fishing boats, and commercial container ships displacing in excess of 190,000 tons while leaving and entering port?
How fast does this thing go when it's waterborne?

As a "seaplane" it has to give way to everything else on the water.

I can only imagine how they are going to handle its wings docking alongside a pier to unload it's paltry 200,000k of cargo, make them foldable?.

Cargo ships are already running with minimal crews of 25-30 crewmembers. Once out at sea, it's pretty much on autopilot, and optimum speed. The watch officer and helmsman are there to avoid the crazy Navy warships that don't follow the rules. They really hate changing speed and only change course to avoid collision.

The only thing keeping them from being automated is that someone has to drive them into and out of port, and someone has to fix the machinery when things break out at sea.
 
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Roger Roger said:
Circular runways.
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I've got it. They just need to build an endless pool. Super compact 'runway'. Can put these anywhere. Think of the space saved.

Swim-Spas-Temecula.png
 
Feasible and will happen eventually 10 to 20 years down the line. Generally this is my biggest reason for not wanting to work at Fed Ex or UPS. A gigantic portion of the worlds population lives on the coasts, and this would dramatically cut down on the costs of shipping time sensitive items. We'll see how long it takes.
 
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