Experts of the Biryuch innovation center, which is part of the EFKO company (a manufacturer of Sloboda mayonnaise) and located in the Belgorod region, conducted the next stage of testing its own unmanned aerial taxi called Hi-Fly Taxi. This information was published on the official website of the EFKO group of companies.
Image source: EFKO
The report says that the Hi-Fly prototype is capable of traveling up to 15 km, carrying up to 120 kg of cargo. Air taxi from Belgorod developers is a multicopter with 16 electric motors in two planes. As a rule, aircraft with an upper propeller position are distinguished by good stability and poor maneuverability, while those with a lower one have good maneuverability, but poor stability. The design of the two-tier aircraft allows achieving an optimal ratio: the screws of the upper tier provide stability, and the lower propellers provide maneuverability (patented technology of the Biryuch center). This approach allows you to continue flying and make a soft landing even in the event of failure of up to four engines.
According to the source, a series of test flights of the Hi-Fly was carried out in the spring-autumn of 2021, and some of them ended unsuccessfully. Flights in "manual mode" have been carried out since May of this year, and the first unmanned flight was carried out in October.
In the first phase, developers use lithium-ion rechargeable batteries as a power source. In the future, in order to achieve the target indicators and the possibility of flying taking into account the climatic features of the Russian Federation, including in the Far North, it is planned to create alternative energy sources - the stake is placed on membrane technologies. The task of creating alternative energy sources for air taxi is being solved jointly with the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and leading Russian scientists.
It is noted that at the first stage, the project to develop an unmanned flying vehicle in the center "Biryuch" received investments in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles. By the end of next year, the developers plan to start carrying out Hi-Fly flights on dedicated routes in the Belgorod region with a length of up to 50 km. For this, together with local authorities, it is planned to create an experimental legal regime for flights of heavy unmanned aerial vehicles in the region.
The development of air taxi is being carried out as part of the creation of the multi-functional Hi-Fly platform. It is planned to create various modifications of the aircraft, including medical, evacuation, fire fighting, police, etc. At the same time, the development of technical infrastructure for the commercial operation of Hi-Fly unmanned aerial vehicles is underway, including control centers, landing sites and service centers.
Serial production and the start of commercial exploitation of drones are planned to begin by 2024. It is assumed that by that time a version of the device will be created that can reach speeds of up to 300 km / h, transporting up to 220 km of cargo at a distance of 600 km. In this case, the flight time will be up to 180 minutes. The first unmanned aerial taxi flight from Alekssevka to Belgorod is scheduled for 2028.
Let us remind you that the Biryuch innovation center was created by the EFKO company in 2004. On the official website of the center there is no information on the implementation of the project to develop an air taxi. Instead, it contains information on other projects such as Biotechnology of Oils and Fats and Innovations in Oilseed Processing.
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