US-based autonomous aircraft design and manufacturing company Natilus announces its expansion to Brown Field in San Diego. The company will host engineering and manufacturing facilities for the Natilus family of aircraft.

“As the prototype aircraft design is nearing completion, we are expanding the team and facilities to move on to final assembly. Our first-class suppliers are excited about the new platform that will reduce CO2 emissions while increasing cargo volume will increase," said Aleksey Matyushev, co-founder and CEO of Natilus.

A 12,000 square foot hangar at Brown Field is used for final prototyping, structural testing, system integration and secondary structural bonding. There's also a massive 8,000-foot runway for testing, with the ability to land large, massive cargo planes. Natilus' engineering offices in downtown San Diego will benefit from the additional 1,500 square feet of office space.

With this news, the company also announced that its new aircraft will soon be flying in low infrastructure areas such as Africa, Europe and parts of Asia.

“On continents, such as Africa and parts of Asia, with limited infrastructure, our new 3.8T autonomous aircraft will become an essential means of fast and safe transportation.”

Natilus targets the mid-mile market and competes directly with truck drivers, railways and ocean freight, with trucking being the main competitor. The first aircraft – the 3.8-tonne short-haul feeder UAV – has started production for its maiden flight in 2023, the company says. official release . Natilus' first aircraft transports around 3.8 tonnes of goods in one to two hours within low-infrastructure areas.

“Africa is a good example because their infrastructure is weak. A vehicle ride may be cheaper to drive per hour if we compare the out-of-pocket operating costs, but it can take two days for a truck to reach about 250 or 200 miles, while our planes that can complete journey in an hour. As a result, there is a movement towards intermodal transport and the smaller product between trucks and our plane," Matyushev said.

Natilus struck a deal with Collins Aerospace last month to design, build and integrate a custom loading system. Natilus also has plans for a medium/long-range UAV with a payload of 60 tons, a long-range UAV with a payload of 100 tons and a large cargo aircraft with a large payload of 130 tons. To provide its customers with a unique total solution, all aircraft use JetA or SAF fuels, as well as existing ground infrastructure and conventional air cargo containers.

Natilus reported earlier this year that it has received more than $6 billion in purchase commitments from major airlines and integrators, including Volatus Aerospace, Astral Aviation, Aurora International, Dymond and Flexport, for the delivery of more than 440 aircraft on pre-order.