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Unmanned Systems

Pyka’s New Autonomous Cargo Drone Conducts Parachute Airdrops

By Cal Biesecker

Thursday, June 11th, 2026

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Pyka’s New Autonomous Cargo Drone Conducts Parachute Airdrops

Pyka's DropShip cargo drone conducting a parachute airdrop during a test. Photo: Pyka

Shortly following its first flight, Pyka on Thursday said it recently demonstrated autonomous low-altitude parachute airdrops using its fixed-wing unmanned DropShip cargo aircraft that is designed for long-range military logistics operations in contested environments. Pyka said the June 4 demonstration included autonomous delivery of “multiple 200-pound payloads from an altitude of 300 feet, landing within 50 feet of the intended target location.” Since then, DropShip is flown more airdrop tests with plans to get to drops of 400 pounds and…

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