UAE's first cargo drones could make deliveries faster, cheaper

Unmanned aircraft can lift 250 kilograms of cargo and fly for up to 300 kilometres

- BY AALIYA ALZAROONI

In a quiet industrial facility on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, a team of engineers has been working in neartotal secrecy for more than two years. Today, their project was finally revealed: the UAE’s first homegrown civilian aircraft, a hybrid VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) cargo drone, and it doesn’t look like anything you’d see at Dubai International Airport.

LODD, a UAE-based aviation startup, has developed a VTOL cargo drone that could transform how goods move across the country and eventually, the region. Targeting a commercial launch in Q4 2026, expects to deploy around 50 aircraft in the country.

300km range