A2Z Drone Delivery, has announced significant upgrades to its flagship RDSX Pelican drone. The enhancements feature a more adaptable flight controller, allowing customers to integrate their customized flight systems and companion software with the hybrid VTOL delivery drone. This open-source flight controller marks an important step toward manufacturing the RDSX Pelican in the United States.
The RDSX Pelican combines the stability of a multirotor with the extended range of a fixed-wing aircraft. Its design, free from control surfaces, minimizes potential points of failure and reduces maintenance demands. The drone's customizable payload bay is compatible with the A2Z Drone Delivery RDS2 winch and supports various logistics operations, including altitude deliveries and unique payload requirements. Designed for FAA Part 107 compliance, the Pelican can carry up to 5 kilograms over a 40-kilometer roundtrip. It can be used for missions like aerial mapping, drone inspection, forestry services, search and rescue, water sampling, offshore deliveries, and mining.
Enhanced Integration with Open-Source Flight Controller
The updated RDSX Pelican now operates on the CUAV X7+ or Cube flight controller, enabling users to integrate their preferred systems, including ground control software and radio beacons.
“When we initially released the RDSX Pelican, we designed it to work with a proprietary flight controller, but we’ve found that customers sought expanded flexibility,” said Aaron Zhang, Founder and CEO of A2Z Drone Delivery, “Moving to the same open-source flight controller that everyone else uses allows customers to utilize A2Z’s own QGC ground control station by default, or integrate their own ground control systems. It also means they can tailor the drone to maximize the open-source PX4 framework with Mission Planner and other commonly used software in our industry.”
Path to US Manufacturing
Adopting the open-source flight controller is a critical step in A2Z Drone Delivery's plan to manufacture the RDSX Pelican in the United States. The company is iterating on the Pelican to offer one of the market's best commercial drone delivery platforms, using readily-available components. With the flexible flight controller, A2Z can source components that meet NDAA compliance and seek Blue UAS certification with the US Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit.
“Part of our development strategy has always been to bring to market drone delivery solutions that meet tomorrow’s customer needs, which requires rapid iteration,” said Zhang. “With its regulatory environment that encourages beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations and its close proximity to supply chains, our Ground Zero Test Facility in Anji County outside Shanghai, has enabled us to push the boundaries of autonomous drone capabilities. Now that these new commercial delivery drones have been proven safe and effective, we are making preparations to serve demand outside private enterprise operators with versions of the Pelican and the rest of our offerings that are manufactured in the United States.”
RDSX Pelican Pricing & Availability
Starting at $29,000 (USD), the RDSX Pelican can be customized to meet mission requirements. The popular configuration includes a factory-integrated RDS2 winch for deploying and retrieving payloads safely from altitude. A2Z Drone Delivery can also equip the drone with a servo-release mechanism to enhance payload capacity or integrate sensor arrays for testing missions, aerial inspection, autonomous patrol, and more.
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