Vira Drones M-1000C (concept design)

M-1000C Logistic (concept design)
Vira Drones
Payerne, Switzerland
www.viradrones.com

Vira Drones was founded in November 2018 by CEO Valeriy Gorshkov and CTO Igor Maslov. The company has offices in both Germany and Switzerland. The company is in the business of making medium-lift and heavy-lift, air cargo and fire-rescue, hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones for advanced air mobility (AAM). On January 26, 2022, Vira Drones was acquired by ILUS International. (Image credit: Vira Drones)

The company is also designing several modular heavy-lift air cargo drones that will connect to each other to form a larger aircraft and these drones will be able to haul heavier and larger-sized payloads. The company's drones are being designed to have a long flight range, a long flight time and be able to fly in most weather conditions.

M-1000C Logistic heavy-lift air cargo hybrid-electric VTOL concept design drone
The M-1000C Logistic is a heavy-lift air cargo hybrid-electric VTOL concept design drone. The drone is flown using autopilot or has a remote controlled option. The fuselage basically has a flat top portion where the propellers and skid landing gear are connected to and underneath the top of the drone. The cargo attached to the under portion of the fuselage and is carried in the open air. It is unknown if the drone can be connected to other drones as a modular design.

The M-1000C has an projected cruise speed between 150 km/h (92 mph) and possibly has a maximum payload weight of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb). It is important to remember that all concept design aircraft specifications are estimated and can or will change as prototypes and production models are made, tested and flown with real world avionics, components and payloads. The drone has been designed with four propellers, four electric motors and has a hybrid-electric power source. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite for a high strength to low weight ratio. The drone lands fixed skid landing gear. The width and height of the air cargo objects would be limited to the inside dimensions of the drone's skid landing gear.

The drone's outer dimensions might be designed to fit inside a 40 foot intermodal shipping container so the drone can be shipped by for an oceangoing cargo ship, semi-trucks or by the railroad. This has not been confirmed by the company as of 2024.

Aerial mission applications
The company foresees their heavy-lift air cargo drones for logistic purposes for missions such as construction, agriculture, ship-to-shore, humanitarian aid and in war zones.                     

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Heavy-lift hybrid-electric VTOL concept design modular aircraft
• Piloting: Autopilot or has remote controlled option
• Capacity: Air cargo only
• Cruise speed: 150 km/h (92 mph)
• Maximum payload weight: Possibly 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
• Propellers: 4 propellers
• Electric motors: 4 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure.

Related Aircraft:

• Vira Drones M-250 Logistic (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-450 Fire Rescue (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-500 Logistic (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-750 Logistic (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-1000 Helicopter (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-1000A Logistic (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-1000B Logistic (concept design)
• Vira Drones M-1000D Logistic (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Vira Drones CB Insights
• Vira Drones Crunchbase
• Vira Drones Pitchbook
• Vira Drones Tracxn
• Ilustrato Pictures International website
• Ilustrato Pictures International MarketWatch
• Ilustrato Pictures International Pitchbook

Resources:

• Vira Drones website
• Vira Drones Facebook
• Vira Drones Twitter
• Vira Drones YouTube Channel
• Vira Drones Instagram
• Vira Drones LinkedIn
• Video: The Ark (VIRA M450), Vira Drones, Nov. 8, 2019
• Video: Various types of body, Vira Drones, Oct. 25, 2021
• Article: OTC: ILUS, ILUS International (Ilustrato Pictures International Inc), Acquires Vira Drones, a European Manufacturer of Pioneering Industrial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Rescue and Logistics, Yahoo! Finance, Jan. 26, 2022
• Article: ILUS Acquires European Industrial Drone Company Vira Drones, UAS Vision, Feb. 1, 2022
• Video: Test flights of the coaxial helicopter with push propeller, Vira Drones, May 4, 2023