Pyka
About
About Pyka
Pelican Cargo is an autonomous electric aircraft designed to carry approximately 400 pounds over routes reaching 200 miles. It takes off and lands from short unprepared areas, allowing freight to move between remote sites without a conventional airport or onboard pilot.
Pelican 2 carries a 300-litre agricultural payload and applies treatment across swaths reaching 20 metres, with operating capacity up to roughly 90 hectares per hour. Pyka's flight-control and remote-supervision system manages missions across both aircraft families. The company reports more than 15,000 autonomous flights and agricultural operation across five countries.
Products
Operations
Output & shipments
- Deliveries
Pyka states that the first aircraft in a fleet of three Pelican Cargo aircraft was delivered to AFWERX. - Pelican Cargo aircraft delivered to AFWERX
Source
Team
- Chuma Ogunwole - Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer - Ogunwole leads operational execution for Pyka autonomous electric aircraft production, certification, and customer delivery programs.
- Kyle Moore - Co-Founder, Software Fellow - Moore contributes software leadership for Pyka autonomous electric aircraft systems.
- Michael Norcia - Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer - Norcia leads Pyka as it scales autonomous electric aircraft for agriculture, cargo, and defense logistics.
- Nathan White - Co-Founder, Head of Flight Operations - White leads flight-operations work for Pyka autonomous electric aircraft deployments and customer programs.
- Alexis Couturier - Head of Cargo Engineering - Couturier leads engineering work tied to Pyka cargo aircraft and autonomous logistics programs.
- Hira Ahmad - Director of Manufacturing - Ahmad leads manufacturing work for Pyka autonomous electric aircraft as the company scales production.
Timeline
Events
- 2026-06-30 - Demonstration - Pyka DropShip flies pilotless Army Reserve resupply exercise
The aircraft completed the mission without a human pilot and performed a 91 kg / 200 lb airdrop. DropShip landed on an unprepared grass runway during the exercise. The aircraft was also used in a simulated casualty-evacuation scenario.
Source
Notes
Profile notes
- Pyka used agricultural operations to build toward cargo and defence aircraft
reviewed 2026-07-20 - Pyka established real flight hours with Pelican crop-spraying aircraft, then adapted the electric autonomous platform into Pelican Cargo and defence variants. The later products inherit propulsion and autonomy experience but have different payload, certification and operating requirements. Agricultural deployment is a technical base, not proof that cargo service is already scaled.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- U.S. Army Reserve
Exercise Validation Counterparty - Pyka DropShip flew a pilotless resupply and airdrop mission during a U.S. Army Reserve Combat Support Training Exercise in Mississippi.