By Pawan Naidu
CoStar News
March 27, 2024 | 8:34 AM
A maker of self-flying planes has inked a deal for a new headquarters that’s roughly five times the size of its prior digs in the latest sign of demand for the autonomous aerospace industry in California.
Pyka, a 7-year-old startup that makes autonomous aircraft for crop protection and cargo delivery, will move to a 110,000-square-foot production facility at Alameda Point, an industrial complex in the East Bay Area that previously served as a naval air station used during World War II.
The company was previously based out of a 23,000-square-foot building in nearby Oakland.
The autonomous aircraft industry is projected to grow by $325 billion over the next two decades, a 25% average annual increase, according to a report by the Aerospace Industries Association.
California companies are showcasing some of that output. Mountain View-based Reliable Robotics announced in December it had operated a 50-mile cargo flight without a pilot and is working with the U.S. Air Force to apply the remote air systems technology to larger cargo planes. San Francisco-based Xwing is working on a similar mission, and completed an autonomous logistics flight from Riverside to Sacramento in January.
Pyka is also working to further its foothold with the military after delivering the first of three Pelican Cargo planes last month to AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Air Force. The autonomous electric cargo aircraft has a 400-pound capacity and 200-mile range built for remote operations.
Industry Promise
The company’s initial years were focused on pesticide control, though it accelerated its cargo delivery business after receiving $37 million in seed funding in 2022.
“A plethora of startup companies have received significant funding for autonomous aircraft and closely related technologies,” the aerospace report said. “While startups have formed, longstanding aviation companies are investing in the promise of this new area.”
Pyka will use its new headquarters at 950 W. Tower Ave. for administrative and manufacturing purposes to design and build autonomous electric aircraft. It plans to move into the space by the middle of this year.
In addition to cargo aircraft, the autonomous aerospace industry is also focused on transporting passengers.
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary based in Mountain View, recently conducted a public demonstration flight on its self-flying electric aircraft, taking off and landing at Long Beach Airport in Southern California. The flight carried four people and cruised 4,000 feet above ground at 135 mph.
Alameda Point, a 1,560-acre development owned by the city of Alameda, has attracted a number of innovative tenants in recent years, including Astra, a space rocket startup that occupies 200,000 square feet at the project.