ZM Interactive introduces drone capable of lifting up to 1,000 pounds

December 15, 2020 | AUVSI News

On Monday, Dec. 14, ZM Interactive (ZMI) announced the newest additions to its line of xFold drones, the xFold Dragon and the Dragon Hybrid. The xFold Dragon is capable of lifting up to 1,000 pounds, while the Dragon Hybrid boasts a flight time of 1.5 hours on battery and more than eight hours with a hybrid system.

The strongest and most adaptable drones in the industry according to ZMI, the xFold drones are also the only industrial UAS that can switch between x4 (quad), x6 (hexa), X8 (octo) and X12 (dodeca) configurations in minutes.

The xFold drone is easily customizable for any mission, as pilots can swap configurations in minutes. This includes adding robotic arms for delivery, extinguisher ball droppers for firefighting, sprayers for agriculture, or sensors for 3D mapping. Designed, manufactured, built and assembled by ZMI in the U.S. using proprietary components, the military grade commercial drones are weather resistant and made to fly in inclement conditions.

The xFold line of Dragon super carrier drones includes five different sizes and capacities, which ensures that there is an xFold drone suited for every flight operation and commercial mission. Payload for the five Dragon aircrafts include 100 pounds, 300 pounds, 500 pounds and 1,000 pounds.

“The xFold Dragons by ZMI are built to be the strongest, most adaptable aircraft on the market today,” says ZMI CEO Ziv Maron.

“We are constantly improving on our designs to make them suitable for every industry and every use. Our customers come to us with an idea and our technology continues to rise to the challenge – these capabilities are only the beginning and we have more exciting updates coming in 2021.”

The xFold is suitable for a variety of commercial, industrial, military and emergency-response applications. The xFold Dragon is currently being used by several customers, including Dynatics, NASA JPL, Livermore Labs, Israel Defence Force, U.S. Military, USDA, police and fire departments. Bell Helicopter, which was granted FAA Experimental Registration on multiple xFold aircrafts in 2019, is also using the xFold Dragon.

xFold Dragons are being used in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Africa and Israel.

Demos will be held in January 2021 in San Francisco. They will feature heavy cargo delivery, including to offshore vessels, as well as long-distance operations and search-and-rescue operations.