Utility Freighter Aircraft

Air cargo remains a key element of global trade carrying 35% of total trade measured by dollar value. The value of air cargo to world trade has been further highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the need to ship critical medical supplies and equipment quickly, securely and over long distances has been underscored throughout 2020. There is a forecasted increasing demand for freighter aircraft in the next 20 years, based on a growing freight market and replacement of ageing aircraft. However, one potentially underserved area is easily moving freight to and from outlying areas to the larger cargo hub airports. These areas are traditionally served by small cargo aircraft or by road trucks, where cargo needs to be unpacked and repacked for the smaller transport. Particularly in a pandemic environment, this slows down distribution of critical supplies to outlying areas, as well as getting perishable goods from these outlying areas quickly and efficiently to market. The student team worked to create and validate an aircraft design that can carry main deck ULDs and/or pallets and that can be loaded and unloaded at smaller, remote airports, where ground handling loading equipment may be limited.

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