Yamato Holdings Co. has reached a basic agreement with a major U.S. helicopter manufacturer to develop an unmanned "flying truck" capable of transporting goods via air, Yamato announced Friday. It aims to start commercial use of the vehicles by the mid-2020s.
Yamato reached the agreement with U.S.-based Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. According to the two companies, the unmanned aircraft will fly at speeds of at least 160 kph and carry cargo of up to about 450 kilograms.
Bell will develop the aircraft itself, while Yamato will construct the cargo container. The companies will produce a prototype by August 2019 and conduct test flights.
The unmanned plane is faster than a truck, immune to traffic jams and not bound to road and railway routes, benefits that are expected to reduce costs.
Yamato hopes to use unmanned aircraft to solve the shortage of truck drivers and other workers that has plagued the transport industry. The company views such vehicles less as aircraft than as a means of transporting and distributing smaller cargo than conventional airborne cargo. It aims to eventually expand the system throughout Japan and abroad.
For now, plans are to use the aircraft for intermediate-range transport rather than home delivery.
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