Bhubaneswar: On the first day of the "Odisha Skill Conclave 2023," Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik unveiled the first heavy lift logistics drone of its kind, capable of moving 50 kg across distances of 10 km. The CM also took a trial of the drone.

AIC CV Raman Global University in Odisha, NITI Aayog, and IIT Mandi are supporting the project BonV Aero, which is developing electric aerial vehicles for cargo delivery.

"Start-up has successfully completed a trial of this 'RM001' Electric Aerial Vehicle carrying 50-kilogram cargo at the altitude of 8000 to 10,000 feet in the Tawang of Eastern Command of the Indian Army forward post in Arunachal Pradesh and next a high altitude trial on 14,000 to 16,000 feet will be done," announced Co-founder and CEO of BonV Aero Satyabrata Satpathy.

The startup's flagship platform, the "RM002," which can transport 200 kilogrammes of goods over 40 kilometres, will be developed in the following phase, he continued.

"These multi-utility air vehicles are helpful in disaster response and the movement of any kind of cargo or goods where surface logistics are either unfavourable or time-consuming, if we talk about Odisha which is highly disaster-prone see the Cyclone and Flood on a regular basis, it can be useful in that situation, it is also many times cheaper than the current alternatives, so it will help to improve accessibility and efficiency of logistics solutions, especially in the remote and Hilly terrains," Satapathy said.

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