AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Skyways, a designer and manufacturer of long-range autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft systems, announced today it has received an award for a total amount of $37 million from the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) AFWERX to transition its existing V3 aircraft from prototype to full-rate production. With the funding, Skyways will continue building its autonomy stack, finalize the V3 production design and ramp up for mass manufacturing, targeting the deployment of thousands of V3 aircraft across defense and commercial applications. This initiative aims to establish Skyways’ platform as the Program of Record for unmanned aerial logistics.
Skyways is redefining cargo transport with a new class of uncrewed, affordable, and ultra-efficient aircraft, positioned to transform a global logistics market worth hundreds of billions annually. By combining advanced autonomy with a design optimized for mass production, the company enables cost-effective, scalable logistics in areas where traditional aviation is too costly or risky, unlocking massive commercial and defense opportunities.
“Skyways is landing contracts well above its weight class and that’s no accident,” stated Charles Acknin, Co-Founder and CEO of Skyways. “Our approach is different from most companies as we self-fund building and flying full-scale aircraft early during development so prospective customers can see real capability, not a slide deck. We’ve figured out a way to do it rapidly and at low cost. This approach is what helped secure this USAF contract and now best positions us to scale production.”
Skyways’ goal in the next 5 years is to build the world’s largest fleet of autonomous logistics aircraft, pairing flight-proven autonomy with designs ready for mass production. Skyways V2, already flying long-range logistics missions with Skyways customers, has a useful load of 30 lbs and a maximum range of 500 miles. The Skyways V3 aircraft builds on the success of V2 by reusing the same autonomy stack but with significant performance upgrades: 100 lbs of useful load, over 1000 miles in maximum range, and over 20 hours of flight time. Both aircraft use a double-hybrid configuration: they can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane, using both electric and fuel energy.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
About Skyways
Skyways is building unmanned aircraft systems that revolutionize autonomous cargo drone transportation. Unlike competitors who remain in development phases, Skyways’ aircraft are operational today, carrying meaningful payloads over significant distances for both military and commercial clients. Based in Austin, Texas, Skyways is shifting toward mass producing its autonomous aircraft, building confidence through real-world cargo missions that aim to ultimately enable future passenger applications. For more information, visit skyways.com.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has awarded over 10,400 contracts worth more than $7.24 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.
Contacts
Isaac Roberts
Chief Commercial Officer
Skyways Air Transportation, Inc.
[email protected]
