Skyways, headquartered in Austin, has initiated manufacturing of Skyreach, an autonomous cargo aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, at its Texas facility. The company announced on Monday that customer operations will begin in December. The aircraft can traverse distances exceeding 1,300 miles when carrying 10 pounds of payload, drawing support from a $37M contract awarded by the US Air Force.
The Skyreach employs eight electric motors for vertical ascent paired with a fuel-powered engine for cruise flight, which simultaneously recharges the aircraft's batteries during operation. While the drone achieves its maximum range of over 1,300 miles with minimal 10-pound loads, this capability diminishes significantly with heavier payloads—dropping to approximately 280 miles when carrying 80 pounds. The aircraft accommodates up to 100 pounds of combined fuel and cargo and can be configured for delivery missions, sensor deployment, or communications infrastructure. According to Skyways, the operating cost represents roughly one-tenth that of a comparable helicopter. The company notes that published specifications constitute design targets subject to modification as flight testing progresses.
Skyreach represents the production iteration of Skyways' V3 platform. In June 2025, the V3 secured the $37M US Air Force contract enabling transition to full-rate production, as reported by The Defense Post. The Pentagon has subsequently established an Autonomous Warfare Command tasked with expanding drone deployment throughout military operations.
Our ambition is to deploy a network of over 1,000 autonomous aircraft for defense and commercial customers within five years
Charles Acknin, Skyways co-founder and chief executive
The autonomous cargo sector is witnessing accelerated development across multiple competitors. Elroy Air conducted operational flights of its Chaparral aircraft from a functioning airport in Louisiana during August and is reportedly advancing toward an $800M SPAC transaction. In Europe, Munich-based ERC System has introduced Victor, a heavier-capacity cargo drone scheduled to enter service in 2028.
Source: The Next Web
