Dronamics

Imagine the possibility of being able to move goods to the most remote places in a matter of hours and at a fraction of the cost of current transportation solutions. That’s the vision being brought to life by Dronamics, the pioneering Bulgarian company behind the world’s first cargo drone airlines.

Dronamics’ Black Swan drone is a remotely-piloted aerial vehicle that can carry the same load as a small cargo van (350 kilograms or 770 pounds) over a distance of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles). Today, with its gasoline powered engine – and looking to switch to alternative, low and carbon-free fuels like sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), biofuels and hydrogen in the future – Dronamics claims that the Black Swan is up to 80% faster, 50% cheaper and produces 60% fewer emissions than other transportation methods.

Currently at the testing stage, Dronamics uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud to manage all aspects of the product development lifecycle of its cargo drone. The company also anticipates using the platform to handle its drone operations – from developing all the associated infrastructure to fleet management – offering same-day delivery worldwide.

“We are in the early stages of this extremely exciting opportunity to revolutionize middle-mile delivery business and unlock same-day delivery for everyone,” said Yavor Nikolov, vice president of manufacturing and supply chain at Dronamics. “The most important things to tackle upfront are cost and speed. Because of that, we decided to be vertically integrated, which means we’re designing, building and operating our aircraft. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s comprehensive suite of integrated applications helps us do that in a streamlined way and innovate faster.”

So far, Dronamics is benefiting from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s powerful design and engineering capabilities. It uses CATIA to design and integrate all drone parts. 3D models and data are connected within the platform so that insights and changes can be incorporated and tracked from design to manufacturing and back again.

“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform has been developed by people who have built and designed aircraft, so it is really tailored to our needs,” Nikolov said. “It also helps us with concurrent design and engineering, allowing us to design an aircraft with operation in mind and, throughout the entire value chain, consider efficiencies such as how to make it lighter and more aerodynamic to reduce drag and fuel consumption.”

Beyond design, Dronamics values the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud’s scalability. Its focus may still be primarily on CAD right now, but in the future the company plans to use the platform to manage its manufacturing processes and, eventually, the operation of its cargo airline services, including flight, fleet and port management.

“Right now, we can use the tools we need and then add capabilities as we evolve,” Nikolov said. “This modular approach means we can adopt the platform gradually, knowing we’ll end up with a seamless, integrated solution.”

As Dronamics gets closer to launching its cargo drone airline, it will use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s advanced simulation capabilities to do everything from virtually testing the aerodynamics of its aircraft all the way through to simulating all cargo operations. This virtual twin will be used to refine the design of its drones and optimize every aspect at its drone ports.

“When you’re in the same-day delivery business, every minute at the drone port counts,” Nikolov said. “Using the virtual twin, we can simulate the cargo flows, including loading and unloading and cross docking, for example, to a last-mile delivery van. Testing all of this new technology in the virtual world before we invest in the infrastructure will help us operate much faster and more cost efficiently.”

Dronamics plans to launch its first commercial operations in Greece – a country with approximately 300 inhabited islands – where a faster, cheaper, greener air freight solution will make a significant difference to local businesses and communities.

Its Black Swan cargo drone is already licensed to operate in Europe over water and unpopulated areas. In the future, Dronamics hopes to gain type certification – which involves meeting the same safety and performance requirements as manned aviation. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform’s data management capabilities will play an essential role, both in delivering the insights needed to mature the company’s drone technology but also satisfying regulatory requirements.

“We’ll be able to show the regulators all the relevant aspects of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that they can proceed with confidence in our technological capabilities when we approach type certification,” Nikolov said. “We also hope to pave the way for our industry peers when they do the same. So far, we’ve had a fantastic experience with Dassault Systèmes and regard them as a partner that’s essential to our long-term success.”

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