New Delhi: India’s largest air logistics company, SpiceXpress has signed a collaborative memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd (NRT), India’s leading domestic provider of intelligent UAVs to the Indian Defence forces, to build a product line of next generation heavy lift, long range cargo UAVs.

 

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Sanjiv Gupta, CEO, SpiceXpress and Julius Amrit, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt Ltd in New Delhi.

 

The flagship UAV in the product line is a 150 Kg UAV (HL 150) being developed by NewSpace Research. These UAVs will carry a payload of 150 kg over a distance of 150 km in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) notified cargo lanes. The HL 150 will have multiplexing technologies that combine NRT’s patent-pending swarming technologies with advanced hub & spoke sorting systems. This will shrink hours of transportation and handoff

times associated with ground vehicles and reduce delivery times in the middle mile by over 50%.

 

SpiceXpress will also work towards integrating these capabilities with their widespread air cargo networks, which will make express delivery services accessible to their customers and businesses in Tier 2, 3 cities and rural India.

Geared mainly towards e-commerce logistics, express and reverse logistics, the efficiencies will benefit consumers and businesses in medical supplies, perishable goods, and others in manufacturing hubs and industrial zones.

 

The forward-looking drone policy of India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released on August 26, 2021, which is focused on making India a drone operations & manufacturing hub by the end of this decade and increasing use cases in improving middle mile productivity are the building blocks of this partnership.

 

NewSpace Research & Technologies is working on next generation unmanned air vehicle solutions with the Indian MOD & DPSUs. SpiceXpress is India’s largest air cargo provider.