Singular Aircraft unveils dual-engine remotely piloted aircraft

By Emily Aasand | October 14, 2014

Singular Aircraft debuted the first amphibious remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). Flyox I is equipped with a twin engine and has capabilities to land and take off on unpaved runways or on water, ice and on snow.

Singular Aircraft, based in Malta, London and Barcelona, designed the RPA to fulfill five specific applications: cargo, firefighting, rescue and lifesaving, agriculture and surveillance.

“Some of the hallmarks of Flyox I are its cargo transport capacity,” said the company. “It has high autonomy in flight hours and its capacity to take off and land on short runways. Flyox I has automatic takeoff and landing functions, as well as various flight modes to preset flight paths.”

In cargo transportation, Singular Aircraft reports that Flyox I is 40 percent more economical and 15 times faster than land transportation and has the ability to launch loads using precision parachutes. It’s able to transport up to a 2050 kg load of food, fuel, drinking water or assistance to disaster areas.

Flyox I has a wingspan of roughly 45 feet (14 meters) a basic flight time of six hours and 45 minutes, a maximum operation altitude of 24,000 feet and a max weight of roughly 6.6 pounds (3,800 kilograms).

In surveillance configuration, the Flyox I’s load compartment is used as a fuel tank and the missions can be carried out using remote control or automatic and autonomous mode, the company said. The RPA can be used to control and survey electrical lines, gas and oil pipelines, weather and volcanic phenomena and to observe hunting land.

Flyox I is also capable in assisting in search and rescue tasks including, but not limited to, immediate interventions, shipwreck localization, survivors search, first aid transport and rescue coordination.

The system Singular Aircraft uses in its rescue efforts is “an international system based on satellites that is capable of receiving distress signals for search and rescue which allows for a reduction in response time and costs.”