Currently, the significance and constraints of the worldwide delivery network are prominently visible. While companies like Amazon are exploring drone technology to accelerate final-stage delivery, Dash Systems is concentrating on optimizing the intermediate phase—employing airdrop techniques, inspired by military logistics, to deliver palletized packages to locations that are difficult to reach.

Conventional air delivery typically involves four distinct stages. Initially, goods are transported from a warehouse to an airport. Subsequently, they are carried by large, fully loaded cargo aircraft from one major transportation hub to another, for example, from New York to Los Angeles. Following this, smaller aircraft or trucks move the goods to their regional destination, such as a sorting or distribution center. Finally, these items are delivered via standard delivery vehicles to their final destination.

Joel Ifill, the founder and CEO of Dash, identified the potential for improvement in this third stage. Leveraging his engineering expertise and experience in developing guided bombs for military applications, he recognized an opportunity to adapt the military’s direct-point-to-point methodology to the commercial sector. He questioned the necessity of traditional airport landings.

He stated to TechCrunch, “We should be capable of providing same-day delivery to any location globally.” He clarified, “By ‘any location,’ I mean even remote areas like the Alaskan frontier. We are already utilizing airplanes; why is a large, expensive airport required to reach these destinations?”

He explained that the military approach to delivery (specifically airdrops, excluding smart bombs) lacks precision: “While suitable for operations like the Normandy landings, it’s not ideal for delivering to a post office parking area. We aimed to create a solution that combines accuracy with commercial viability.”

The resulting innovation can be described as packages that descend like skydivers, capable of being dropped at multiple destinations during a single flight. Ifill explained, “We refer to these as ‘pods.’ They are equipped with control surfaces, a tail kit, and a mechanism for controlled deceleration and landing. It’s a complete solution that can be loaded onto any aircraft.”

Currently, each pod can accommodate approximately 50 pounds of cargo, a relatively modest amount in the freight industry, but an aircraft can carry as many pods as needed.

However, the pods represent only one aspect of the system. The company is addressing an entire segment of the delivery process, which necessitates providing pilots with precise navigational instructions. The team prioritized simplicity, requiring minimal training—pilots only need to navigate to the coordinates provided by the system. Because landing is unnecessary, aircraft can deliver pods over extensive distances. The Dash system determines the optimal route, and the pods, once released at their designated coordinates, autonomously navigate to their final destinations.

The intention is to streamline the middle-mile delivery process, which currently relies on slow ground transportation or expensive, fuel-intensive aircraft. Concerns regarding the potential cost of this concept were addressed by Ifill and Bryan Miller, the company’s COO and chief pilot, who also possesses a background in military aviation and engineering.

Ifill acknowledged, “The air cargo sector isn’t easily understood.” He pointed out that it accounts for less than one-half of one percent of total shipping weight but generates one-third of shipping revenue. He emphasized that its primary benefit is speed, not efficiency, and that the average utilization rate of cargo aircraft is below 50 percent.

Miller highlighted the challenges of delivering to remote rural communities, particularly in Alaska. He stated, “The difficulties and delays in delivering to rural communities are readily apparent.” He explained that transporting goods from Anchorage Airport to a small post office in a remote area is a significant undertaking, but if aircraft could depart from Anchorage and drop pallets at five small airports or helipads, it could reduce travel time from potentially dozens of hours—assuming roads are even passable—to a single flight. This is a relatively safe and cost-effective solution, as it reduces the number of takeoffs and landings at airports potentially affected by Alaskan weather conditions like fog, ice, moose, and wind.

Miller also noted that numerous locations within the continental United States do not receive Amazon’s two-day delivery service due to insufficient infrastructure to complete the four standard delivery stages within that timeframe. However, if Prime packages were transported by a plane from SFO that would otherwise be only half full and dropped near a FedEx center en route to the Petaluma airport, it could save both time and money.

While commercial agreements are important, the concept originated in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where Ifill stated that residents went nearly two weeks without deliveries due to the destruction of the communication infrastructure. He recounted, “We had to hike in with a satellite phone to determine the needs of the local mayor,” but actual delivery required a 45-minute flight from San Juan. The integration of commercial airdrops into the existing system could have significantly improved the situation.

The company will continue to explore applications for disaster relief, assisting areas temporarily cut off from access. However, the primary driver of its success will be enhancing the existing delivery network to facilitate deliveries to remote locations. Ifill expressed confidence in competing with established companies like FedEx and UPS.

He stated, “No new delivery route has ever caused an existing one to cease operations.” He suggested that this could even increase their business. “We are competing with the current system—we don’t have a patent on gravity or dropping items from airplanes, but as far as I know, we are the most advanced in this field.”

Miller added, “We do not intend to own any aircraft. Our goal is to collaborate with the companies that already operate them.”

Surprisingly, the regulatory aspects are not a major obstacle. One might assume that dropping heavy objects from airplanes near residential areas would be difficult to permit, but it is already covered by existing regulations. Importantly, the pods are not classified as drones and therefore do not require registration. To date, they have successfully airdropped 5,000 pounds of cargo during pilot flights in Alaska.

The $8 million seed funding round was led by 8VC, with participation from Tusk Venture Partners, Loup Ventures, Trust Ventures, Perot Jain, and MiLA Capital. This funding will enable the company to expand its team and further refine the deployment and pod technology, which is currently functional but still under development. They are already in discussions regarding commercial and government contracts for their initial customers—a valuable asset for remote outposts or facilities, despite the military’s long-standing use of this technology.

Further information about Dash Systems can be found in the video below.

Dash Mission Video from Dash Systems on Vimeo.