Quickstep Holdings’ Aerostructures business has secured a contract to manufacture and deliver Black Swan unmanned cargo aircraft for Europe-based cargo drone airline Dronamics.
The Black Swan is a large, unmanned aircraft designed to carry up to 350kg of cargo in excess of 2,500km. Work on the aircraft’s production will begin in March, Quickstep said in an ASX announcement.
The contract award with Dronamics follows months of extensive negotiations after the announcement of a manufacturing memorandum of understanding at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2022.
Quickstep worked closely with Dronamics during the period, which supported design finalisation and volume production objectives.
The latest contract covers Phase 0 engineering and Phase A supply, on a full cost-reimbursement-plus–fee basis, of 10 low-rate initial production aircraft.
The delivery execution will be split into three aircraft by October 2023 and seven more by July 2024.
The firm contract requirement’s value is expected to be in the range of $4.5 million to $5.5 million.
Dronamics is the world’s first cargo drone airline and a leading developer and operator of large, long-range drones built specifically for cargo.
Its flagship Black Swan drone offers 60 per cent lower emissions than alternative modes of transport, including airfreight, enabling same-day shipping over long distances for a variety of industries.
