Skyways Starts Production of Autonomous Skyreach Cargo Aircraft

By Nathan Brooks

Skyways said on November 9, 2026 that it had started producing Skyreach in Austin, following a $37 million AFWERX award for the program. Flights for existing defense and commercial customers are scheduled for December 2026. Skyways says the autonomous vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft can fly more than 1,300 miles while carrying 10 pounds of cargo.

A $37 million production push

Originally developed as V3 Block 2, Skyreach is the production platform behind a $37 million STRATFI award from AFWERX, the Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm. AFWERX’s June 2025 award funded V3’s transition from prototype toward full-rate production.

Since then, Skyways says it has finalized the production design and advanced flight-qualification testing. Skyways says new customers can reserve capacity.

Range gives way to payload

The Skyways specification sheet puts the long-range case at more than 1,300 miles with 10 pounds of cargo. With 50 pounds, the listed range falls to more than 780 miles, while maximum endurance exceeds 18 hours.

The range figures assume level cruise at 70 knots true airspeed, a 2,000-foot density altitude, no wind and a 45-minute fuel reserve. Skyreach has a 360-pound maximum gross takeoff weight, and its useful load includes fuel and payload. Skyways lists useful load at more than 100 pounds, an 86-pound fuel capacity and a 7-cubic-foot cargo bay.

What does this change for operators? The longest listed range applies only to a 10-pound load, not a 50-pound or maximum-payload flight. Operators must trade route length against cargo weight.

An earlier AFWERX award record shows that V2 had a 30-pound useful load and a 500-mile maximum range. Skyreach retains the same autonomy stack while extending the aircraft and software line toward heavier loads and longer missions. That gives operators a measurable step up from V2, but only within the payload and cruise assumptions behind each figure.

Hybrid power and modular missions

The Skyways product page specifies eight electric motors for vertical lift and a two-stroke heavy-fuel cruise engine with an integrated generator. The generator recharges the lift battery in flight and powers avionics, sensors and payloads. That architecture allows refueling without ground-side battery charging or battery swaps.

Skyways lists fuel compatibility with Jet A, Jet A-1, JP-5 and JP-8. Its 7-cubic-foot cargo bay can be reconfigured between flights for several mission types:

• Standard cargo
• Temperature-controlled blood, plasma and biologics
• Radar or optical sensors
• Communications equipment

The bay can supply up to 2.5 kilowatts of power. Its top-loading, bottom-release layout supports autonomous airdrops and tethered cargo delivery.

Skyways says the design is intended for shipboard and austere environments. Its specification sheet lists winds up to 40 knots and temperatures from minus 5 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

The operating model and its next test

Skyways says onboard autonomy handles flight navigation, mission execution and emergency maneuvers. SkyNav Mission Control covers route planning, flight execution and live supervision of aircraft, hubs and operators. The system presents a one-operator-to-many-aircraft model, allowing direct routes to be repeated across a fleet.

Chief Executive Charles Acknin said the company aims to “deploy more than 1,000 autonomous aircraft for defense and commercial customers within five years.” Skyways also estimates Skyreach’s cost at roughly one-tenth that of a helicopter.

Production has started while development continues. The specification sheet labels its numbers “design specifications,” states that Skyreach “is in flight test” and cautions that the figures are subject to change. The production design is finalized, but performance figures remain provisional as customer flights approach.

December’s customer flights will test whether Skyways can turn those design targets into repeatable service. If the range-payload tradeoffs, rapid-refueling design and one-to-many supervision hold in operations, the platform can support Acknin’s fleet target.

If they do not, the announced scale remains unproven.