World drone leaders DJI have just launched their new FlyCart 30 cargo transporter on the international market, saying it “ushers in new era of dynamic aerial delivery.” It could do a lot more than that. The FlyCart’s biggest impact may be on the battlefield as a heavy drone bomber, gunship, minelayer and logistics vehicle, despite all DJI’s efforts to prevent military use of their products.
The Biggest Little Drones In Ukraine
DJI, based in Shenzhen, China, dominate the consumer drone industry with an estimated 70%+ of the global market. In particular their Mavic range of affordable drones which fold up small enough to fit in a cargo pocket are outstanding platforms for rock-steady aerial videos or swooping shots of scenery. Mavics also make great battlefield scouts, and both sides in the conflict have used the drones heavily for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, spotting hidden targets from miles away.
Small drones also multiply the effectiveness of artillery: by precisely directing rounds on target, drones make artillery five to ten times as effective. Everything from 155mm howitzers to 30mm automatic grenade launches now uses drone guidance, and they assist tanks to score indirect-fire kills from long range in a way that was previously impossible.
And of course, small drones are used as bombers. 3D printed bombing rigs arm small quadcopters with one or two grenades (typically Russian VOG-17 or American M433 “Golden eggs”) to drop into foxholes or trenches, or through hatches to destroy abandoned vehicles.
DJI deplores the military use of their drones. The company banned sales of their products in both Ukraine and Russia in April 2022 and has issued several strongly-worded statements, but these have been ignored.
But in Ukraine, ‘Mavik’ is now a generic term for any small drone, just as ‘Hoover’ and ‘Fridge’ were applied to any product of a certain type. In October 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal claimed his country bought 60% of the Mavic drones produced,DJI immediately denied this claim, and it does seem unlikely as DJI produce millions of drones and Ukraine’s purchases are likely to be in the hundreds of thousands, but it gives an idea of how significant they are.
DJI’s products have a reputation for being well-designed, well-built, easy to fly and extremely good value. The FlyCart 30 is likely to be more of the same.
Heavy Payload, Light Price
DJI’s new FlyCart 30 is intended to dominate the world of delivery drones the way that the Mavic dominates the consumer market. And like the rest of DJI’s portfolio, it offers extremely impressive specifications.
With eight rotors on four arms, the FlyCart30 can haul up to 30 kilos/66 pounds a distance of ten miles, or carry lesser payloads greater distances. The control range is given as 13 miles, but extra features allow one-button transfer to a second operator.
Top speed is 45 mph, and the drone can fly in winds of up to 27 mph.
A mass of safety features include automatic radar and visual obstacle avoidance day or night, and a parachute which deploys if the engines fail, so the drone will always make a soft landing.
For deliveries, the FlyCart30 can carry a 70-liter cargo pod – a container the size of a suitcase – or, if there is no landing site, it can lower a payload on a winch while the drone hovers 60 feet above.
Like the Mavics, FlyCart30 folds up for easy transport . No international price has been announced, but last year the drone was advertised in China for just $17,000.
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Ukraine already makes extensive use of DJI’s larger commercial drones like the Matrice 300, both for long-range reconnaissance as bombers. But the 10-pound payload of a Matrice retailing at over $10k is dwarfed by the 60-pounds plus of a FlyCart 30.
There are some heavier bomber drones made locally, including Aerorozvidka tank-busting R-18s and the Kazhan (“Bat”). These a are usually flown at night using thermal imaging to find and target Russian vehicles. The larger bomber drones can drop 25-pound TM-62 anti-tank mines, modified as aerial bombs, with lethal accuracy. The Russians call them Baba Yaga (a famous witch from Slavic folklore) and fear them.
Ukraine’s heavy drones have recently taken on a new role as minelayers. Their engineers have developed a special fuse so a mine can be dropped from the air and only arm itself after it has handed. The drones can lay mines on roads or tracks from several miles away. They can also repair gaps in minefield where Russian engineers have started to clear a path.
The low price and heavy payload of the FlyCart are revolutionary. Existing heavy-lift drones are far more expensive and very much specialist tools. FlyCart, designed and positioned for a mass market, will be extremely popular. It can drop more bombs and more mines more cheaply than anything currently out there.
DJI will no doubt incorporate geofencing and other measures to prevent FlyCart being used as a bomber. As with the Mavics, ingenious operators will quickly circumvent them. Perhaps tellingly, an advert for the rival Titan delivery drone made by Autel showed it carrying bombs. Autel, also Chinese, denied the advert had anything to do with them. Titan, with a carrying capacity of just 22 pounds and a price tag of over $52k may struggle to compete with its bigger and likely cheaper rival.
Gunships Ahoy
Meanwhile, U,. military drone makers AeroVironment recently announced the successful drop testing of Shryke GPS-guided anti-armor weapons from its Vapor 55 multicopter. The Shryke has an accuracy of 1-2 meters, and glide weapons can strike from considerable distance. Vapor 55 has a carrying capacity of 12 pounds, or about one-fifth of the FlyCart 30. The cost is know known, but it is built to military specifications for ruggedness and jam-resistance. Perhaps the most important findings in Ukraine will be how well commercial drones can operate in a military environment. In theory a FlyCart could carry out dozens of precision strikes in one sorties, with weapons powerful enough to take out armored vehicles.
The larger capacity also opens up the possibility of new types of attack drone. Several developers have already come up with stabilised weapon mounts for drones, such as the Baduga rifle system which comes with a high-powered rifle with 60 rounds. It can reliably hit a human-sized target with one shot from 200 meters. The Baduga system complete with a rifle and ammo weights less than 20 pounds.
In 2021, Nammo test-fired their M72 anti-armor rocket from a heavy drone. M72s weigh about eight pounds each, so FlyCart could carry a whole rack of them, benefitting from being able to attack the thin top armor.
The FlyCart could also act as a drone carrier, a mothership for multiple FPV attack drones. Both Ukraine and Russia have experimented with this concept, but an affordable heavy lift platform would make it far more feasible.
DJI doubtless have their eyes on the future and the massive global market for delivery drones. The winch system in particular suggests they are thinking of urban delivery networks which sidestep traffic issues to deliver urgent supplies, consumer goods, or even takeaway food over distances of a few miles. But while drone delivery services literally struggle to get off the ground as flight safety regulations are worked out, military drone operators will take all the heavy bombers they can get, legally or otherwise.
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