Russian company Heiss has developed a prototype automated cargo drone, the Heiss A2, that takes off vertically before cruising forward like an aeroplane.
The company general director, Albert Geiss, announced the project, which has secured financial support from Russia's Innovation Promotion Fund.
Proving ground trials confirmed that the unmanned aircraft can complete all flight stages entirely automatically. Geiss said the prototype covered a distance of 50 kilometres while carrying a payload of four kilograms.
During the tests, the machine managed automated vertical take-off, transitioned smoothly into horizontal forward flight, completed its cruise segment, and rotated back into an upright position to touch down.
Tailsitter wing design
Developers describe the structure as a bitandem, a hybrid aerodynamic layout combining features of a biplane and a tandem wing. The aircraft is built as a tailsitter, standing upright on its rear section during take-off and landing.
In cruise mode, the vehicle is sustained in the air by three rows of wings. This arrangement means the propellers do not need to burn energy continuously to generate lift, unlike standard multicopter drones, which developers say lowers power consumption and reduces delivery costs.
Vertical take-off and landing designs are built to merge the hovering convenience of multi-rotor craft with the range and efficiency of fixed-wing aeroplanes. Standard multicopters consume substantial battery reserves simply maintaining altitude, whereas fixed wings generate aerodynamic lift from forward motion.
Planned 2028 delivery launch
To evaluate the concept, the engineering team manufactured three prototypes and built the flight control system virtually from scratch. Its compact dimensions allow the aircraft to operate from automated drone ports and deliver goods to open landing sites.
Testing will continue, with the developers planning to tailor subsequent versions of the drone to individual customer specifications.
Geiss said the company expects to start a pilot delivery service in 2028. He said the firm is targeting retail and e-commerce businesses, corporate clients, and state emergency bodies including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Autonomous cargo aircraft are seeing growing adoption for medical logistics and disaster response, where delivering emergency supplies, blood products or tools quickly over impassable roads can save critical time.
