Company plans drone to carry 400 pound payloads

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A Canadian company says it has started development of a drone that will be able to deliver packages that weigh up to 400 pounds.  Drone Delivery Canada is focused on building a fleet of drones to deliver bulk shipments that are so called pallet-size payloads.

Along with the heavy payloads, the drone is being designed to fly approximately 150 km.  The company hopes to begin flying the Condor at its testing facilities in late 2018.

The company conducted its first tests of its Sparrow drone at Griffiss InternationaL Airport in Rome, New York on March 5, 2018.  The flights were actually controlled from the company's headquarters in Ontario, Canada.  The Sparrow has a 5kg lifting capacity.

Drone Delivery Canada is planning new tests soon for a drone called the Raven that will be able to carry payloads of up to 25 pounds and fly them around 60 km.  The company says it has identified around a thousand remote communities in northern Canada that could deliver items via their drones.