- AIR CEO Rani Plaut said most current drones are too limited in range and payload to meet logistics demands in conflict zones.
- The company is developing an autonomous cargo eVTOL based on its piloted AIR ONE program to support defense and disaster response.
Rani Plaut, CEO of the Israeli aerospace startup AIR, says recent global crises have revealed a central lesson for military and civilian planners alike: “mobility is power.”
In a detailed statement on the company’s vision for next‑generation aerial logistics, Plaut said uncrewed aerial systems have become essential for reconnaissance and rapid tactical response, but remain underused in the logistics mission.
“From the war in Ukraine and conflicts across the Middle East, to natural disasters disrupting global supply chains, we’ve seen how uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) have become indispensable for reconnaissance, and rapid response,” Plaut said. He noted that reconnaissance and offensive FPV drones have already reshaped modern battlefields by providing real-time intelligence and enabling quick tactical action.
According to Plaut, the gap now lies in logistics. “Today, most UAS resupply operations in contested environments are limited to delivering small payloads: a handful of meals or supplies for small units at best,” he said. The challenge, he added, is to scale this capacity so unmanned systems can move “hundreds of pounds of equipment, medical devices, water tanks, inflatable rescue boats, or even autonomous ground robots.”
As noted by AIR, almost all current VTOL-capable drones are limited to payloads under 100 pounds and operational ranges under 10 miles. While they can support small tactical needs, Plaut said they cannot sustain larger formations that depend on continuous remote resupply. He drew comparisons to civilian logistics, arguing that most UAS are still “not capable of bridging the gap between logistics hubs and remote end points due to both range and payload constraints.”
Plaut also addressed emerging procurement decisions facing militaries and disaster-response agencies. “Decision makers will soon face a choice: acquire one heavy-lift UAS such as the Black Hawk, or 20–30 smaller, medium-lift, medium-range logistics eVTOLs operating collaboratively,” he said. While some missions will always require a helicopter, he argued that “in most cases, the latter can satisfy the mission and provide many tactical advantages and availability to the end user.”
He used naval support scenarios to illustrate the shift. “Commanders will no longer need to send out a Black Hawk with two crewmembers onboard to deliver a 200lb tool for ship repairs during ship to ship or ship to shore operations,” he said. If the future of aerial logistics depends on systems that are too costly or complex, Plaut warned, “we’ll miss the true opportunity: to fundamentally change how things move: safely, quickly, and economically.”
AIR says it is building a solution to meet this emerging demand. According to the company, its upcoming AIR Cargo platform is based on technologies developed for the piloted AIR ONE program. In a statement, the company said the system aims to support “defense, disaster response, and commercial logistics” by providing an autonomous platform designed for real-world payload and range requirements.
“The skies are becoming more capable, more connected, and more essential than ever,” Plaut said. “This is where logistics takes flight.”