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The Future of Advanced Air Mobility
Horsefly Autonomous Drone Delivery by Workhorse

HorseFly is an unmanned cargo delivery aircraft. In a deal completed in November 2019, Workhorse will jointly develop the program with Moog, which has separately acquired Workhorse's SureFly eVTOL aircraft program.

In October 2019, Workhorse and Unmanned Systems Operations Group began operating the HorseFly for medical supply deliveries in San Diego, California, under a pilot program approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. As of November 2019, the companies had not published a timeline for type certification. 

In mid December 2019, the company declined to comment when asked what the next steps and timeline would be for the HorseFly program. "These are maturing technologies, and, over time, we will be working with regulators to shape future requirements," said a spokesperson. This could be taken to mean that the scope of the program could end up being revised.

Outlook

Our objective assessment of this program’s probable success.

FutureFlight assesses the probability of success for a new aircraft program by considering the following criteria:

  • Total investment funds available in proportion to the anticipated cost of getting an aircraft certified and in service
  • A company’s in-house capability (in terms of numbers of engineers, technical staff, and customer support teams)
  • The past experience of the company and its senior leadership in developing aircraft
  • The caliber and past experience of key program partners
  • Whether key aircraft systems have been selected and are available for use
  • Whether the preliminary design review has been completed
  • Whether the design for the full-scale prototype has been completed
  • Whether the type certification process has been formally initiated with an appropriate regulator
  • Whether the company has achieved a first flight with a full-scale prototype
  • The number of hours logged in a flight test program
  • Whether type certification has been achieved
  • The number of orders and commitment received for the aircraft
  • Whether the company has adequate facilities to begin series production of the aircraft
Our Methodology

Prospects for getting the HorseFly approved for commercial operations were boosted by the November 2019 agreement for Workhorse and Moog to work together on the program. Moog paid $4 million to cash-strapped Workhorse for its SureFly eVTOL program. It has not confirmed how much it may also invest in HorseFly, but Moog appears to have deep enough pockets to get both programs to market.

HorseFly Models

HorseFly Specifications

autonomous vtol Multicopter
Imperial/Metric

Performance

  • Passenger Capacity
  • Range
    n/a
  • Cruise Speed
    45 mph
  • Powerplant Type
    multi rotor
  • Power Source
    electric
  • Endurance
    n/a
  • Max Altitude
    n/a
  • Takeoff Distance
    n/a
  • Landing Distance
    n/a
  • Empty Weight
    22 lb
  • MGTOW
    30 lb
  • Payload Weight
    10 lb

Dimensions

  • Length
    n/a
  • Width
    n/a
  • Height
    n/a
  • Wingspan
    n/a

The HorseFly unmanned delivery aircraft is being jointly developed by Workhorse and Moog under a joint-venture agreement completed in November 2019. It is unclear when the partners intend to complete type certification for the aircraft. In October 2019, it began trial operations delivering medical supplies in San Diego, California, with Unmanned Systems Operations Group.

The all-electric aircraft has six ducted rotors. It is designed to operate in conjunction with Workhorse's C1000 electric delivery truck.

Key Personnel

Duane Hughes

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

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