Spin It Up!
Collaborative Cable-Suspended Payload Carrying Using Fixed-Wing EVTOL UAVs
F. Angioni (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
S. Calvo Morales (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
M.W.A. Cornelis (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
J.J. Geels (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
P.J.J. Holleboom (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
K.J. Jakubowski (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
V.A. Kovalyov (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
M. Madrid-Peñarrubia (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
A.D. Pikeringa (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
P. Tarragona (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
G. Putin Frances (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
E.J.J. Smeur – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
M. Constantinov – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
A. Marketou – Mentor (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
J.A. Melkert – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
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Abstract
Remote rural communities and disaster-affected regions often lack reliable transport infrastructure for the rapid delivery of essential supplies. Conventional logistics methods are constrained by inaccessible terrain, high operating costs, and environmental impact, while existing cargo drones typically compromise either cruise efficiency or operational flexibility. As demand grows for sustainable and infrastructure-independent delivery solutions, most traditional solutions fall short. To address this need, Dronado was developed. Dronado is an innovative cooperative hybrid-drone system designed for rural delivery and disaster-relief operations. Dronado consists of three autonomous fixed-wing UAVs with rotatable propellers, which collaboratively transport a suspended 50 kg payload over a nominal distance of 20 km. The system combines vertical take-off and landing with efficient fixed-wing cruise flight, coordinated trajectory optimisation, redundant sensing and communication systems, and a modular payload connection. By integrating scalability, safety, sustainability, and autonomous swarm control, Dronado provides a conceptual basis for a new generation of cooperative aerial logistics systems.