The Giant Foamboard Quadcopter is a cardboard-like uncrewed drone measuring 6.4m corner to corner.
Engineers at the University of Manchester have flown what they claim may be the biggest unmanned quadcopter drone yet built.
The GFQ's pilot, Kieran Wood, a lecturer in Aerospace Systems at the University said: "The first moments of flight are the make-or-break point for these types of multi-copter drones. There are many hundreds of things that you must get right."The drone, which can also be flown autonomously, weighs 24.5kg - 0.5kg less than a weight limit set for drones of this type by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Professor Bill Crowther, from the university, said: "Ultimately, with this design you are holding up 25kg of aircraft with just a few strategically placed pieces of paper - that's the art of the possible."While the use of cardboard-like materials in drone manufacture may seem more like child's play than cutting edge aviation, cardboard drones are a serious business.
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