Czech firm Zuri unveils uncrewed VTOL cargo aircraft

Prague-based advanced air mobility developer Zuri has unveiled its first commercial product: a large vertical take-off and landing cargo drone intended for civil or defence use. The hybrid-electric uncrewed aircraft is derived from the company's latest technology demonstrator, known as TD 2.0, which is currently undergoing early ground testing.

According to the company, the aircraft will be able to carry a payload of 115kg over roughly 366 nautical miles, or a heavier 145kg load over about 87 nautical miles, in both cases with a 30-minute fuel reserve. It has a wingspan of 9.7 metres.

Zuri had previously focused on a four-passenger hybrid-electric tiltrotor aircraft. Michal Illich, the company's founder and chief executive, said the shift toward the cargo drone is not a pivot away from that ambition. Instead, he described it as an initial step, since certification for uncrewed cargo aircraft is comparatively simpler and faster to achieve. The cargo drone, he noted, shares much of its architecture and powertrain with the larger passenger design.

Illich said prioritising the cargo aircraft would not significantly delay the passenger programme, which he expects to reach the market sometime in the 2030s rather than before 2030.

Zuri plans to fly the TD 2.0 demonstrator in the second quarter of 2027. Pilot operations of the cargo aircraft could begin by the end of that year, under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's Specific Operations Risk Assessment framework. Broader commercial service is expected around 2028 or 2029.

Illich said the company has already begun talks with potential customers and has signed two preliminary agreements to explore possible applications for the platform.