Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Danish start-up Acodyne has raised €2.5 million (about $2.9 million) in a pre-seed funding round to develop a family of uncrewed electric cargo aircraft. Announcing the venture capital backing on June 22, the company said the drones will combine vertical takeoff and fixed-wing operations to carry payloads of between 100 and 500 kilograms (220 to 1,100 pounds) at speeds of up to 450 kilometers per hour (243 knots).
According to Acodyne, the aircraft will provide an alternative to crewed helicopters for missions including military resupply, emergency medical flights, and logistics for the offshore energy sector. The design features detachable wings that allow the aircraft to be transported in standard 20-foot containers.
Acodyne’s propulsion system combines tilting wing-mounted electric ducted fans and a stowable fan in the forward section of the fuselage that is deployed for vertical flight. According to co-founder and CEO Mads Schnack, ducted fans are less expensive to develop than the multiple-rotor configurations favored by quite a few electric aircraft developers, as well as being safer and quieter.
The initial E100 model, with a 100-kilogram payload, will have two of the tilting ducted fans and one in the forward section. This combination of motors will increase to four and two, respectively, for the larger E200 production model, which will have twice the payload. In addition to the main wing, Schnack said that between 15% and 20% of all lift will come from the aircraft fuselage and its forward canard.
As the available power rating increases from an initial 200 kilograms (441 pounds) thrust per motor, Acodyne plans to develop the E500 model, which would be the same size as the E200 but with a 500-kilogram payload. Schnack said his team has been inspired by the ducted fan design developed by the former eVTOL air taxi developer Lilium, which deployed 36 electric motors on its six-passenger aircraft.
Beyond the all-electric versions of the drone family, Acodyne has plans to develop a hybrid-electric powertrain with a fuel-burning turbine engine that would recharge the batteries. This would increase range from 500 to 1,000 kilometers (270 to 540 nm), with around two-thirds of the batteries being removed to make room for the engine.
<h2>AI Flight Planning&nbsp;</h2>
The flight controls for the drones will be provided by an undisclosed established avionics partner and have already been used on other aircraft. Acodyne also intends to integrate the eThor AI autonomous stack system developed by the DTU Compute unit at the Technical University of Denmark.
According to Schnack, artificial intelligence could reduce operational workload by managing tasks such as flight planning and ground procedures, such as loading and unloading cargo. However, customers can choose whether to fly the drones “manually” using remote piloting techniques or opt for fully autonomous operations.
Chief commercial officer Jasmina Pless told AIN that Acodyne is discussing commercial applications with prospective operators in Arctic regions needing to access remote communities. The company is also targeting defense use cases, such as replacing the use of ground vehicle convoys to deliver supplies in trips taking no more than 90 minutes compared with four or five hours.
Acodyne said it has completed validation of the concept based on computer modeling and ground tests with its propulsion system. It expects to be ready to start flight tests by the end of 2026 as it targets early operations in 2028.
The pre-seed round was led by Swedish venture capital group Gungnir Capital and Denmark’s PSV Hafnium. It was also supported by the Danish EIFO Export and Investment Fund, SAP9 Group, and GreenUP IV Invest. It intends to launch a new round of fundraising in early 2027 to support construction of the E200 prototype.

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Acodyne Raises Pre-seed Funding for Electric Cargo Drone Family 

Danish start-up aims to start flight testing before end of 2026

Acodyne has venture capital backing to build the first prototype of a planned family of electric and hybrid-electric autonomous cargo aircraft.

Acodyne Lands Funding for Electric Cargo Drone Family 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

Compact, cost-effective system applicable to smaller UAS platforms 

Honeywell Launches Kestrel Drone Navigation Solution

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Uncrewed platform would complement multi-mission D328MR variant 

Deutsche Aircraft Working On Multi-Role Support Drone

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Swarm says it is now building production-ready uncrewed air system

TPE331 Engine Will Power Swarm Aero’s Large Military Drone

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

More In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Honeywell Launches Kestrel Drone Navigation Solution

Compact, cost-effective system applicable to smaller UAS platforms

Deutsche Aircraft Working On Multi-Role Support Drone

Uncrewed platform would complement multi-mission D328MR variant

TPE331 Engine Will Power Swarm Aero’s Large Military Drone

Swarm says it is now building production-ready uncrewed air system

ERC Unveils Victor Hybrid-electric VTOL Cargo Drone

First prototype was unveiled at the ILA 2026 air show this week in Berlin

Schiebel Camcopter S-300 Selected for Anti-Sub Evaluation

European SWORD project to evaluate uncrewed platform in naval role

Updated DARPA Hybrid-Electric XRQ-73 Makes First Flight

Experimental aircraft to validate hybrid-electric propulsion technology

Savback Helicopters, Dufour Partner on Drone Delivery

Service will use Dufour’s Aero-200 tiltwing aircraft

Aeronautics Boosts Production as Drone Applications Grow

Orbiter, Dominator, Aerostar, and Octoper drones can be adapted for new uses

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN