Pyka, a California-based aerospace innovator, has introduced the DropShip, a heavy-lift, long-endurance unmanned aircraft purpose-built for defense and expeditionary logistics.
Leveraging the company’s autonomous flight expertise from the Pelican 2 electric aircraft, DropShip signifies Pyka’s strategic expansion into military applications. The platform’s maiden flight is expected in early 2026.
Engineered for precision resupply operations, DropShip can deliver payloads up to 550 pounds (249 kilograms) with pinpoint accuracy—within 150 feet (46 meters) of the intended drop zone—and achieve a range exceeding 3,500 miles (5,633 kilometers).
Its modular mission bay allows integration of ISR sensors, communications packages, and power supply units, while its mothership functionality supports small unmanned reconnaissance or relay drones.
A quiet, all-electric mode enables roughly 45 minutes of low-signature flight, ideal for covert or humanitarian missions. The system’s open-architecture secondary mission computer facilitates rapid reconfiguration for diverse operational roles.
