U.S: Guardian Agriculture “First Drone Manufacturer to Begin Commercial Operations”
Guardian Agriculture, a developer of drone systems for commercial-scale sustainable farming, announced this week it has become the first such manufacturer to begin U.S commercial operations, reports a press release. The company recently began operating four of its drones, spraying crops in the Salinas Valley region of California.
Guardian drones “spray crops more efficiently, sustainably, and safely than traditional crop-dusters or ground-based equipment, “ explains the release. “Its systems are fully programmable, repeatable and simple to operate. A single drone can cover up to 60 acres per hour, carry a 200 lb payload, and has a combined tank fill and supercharge time of less than 1 minute.”
Adam Bercu, Founder and CEO of Guardian, commented, “While several companies are developing similar technologies, we are now the only one that has both secured FAA approval to operate commercially nationwide, and that’s actually started flying missions on behalf of paying customers.”
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In March this year, Guardian received approval from the FAA to operate its aircraft nationwide, making it “the first commercial authorisation of any kind in the U.S.” In addition to receiving this approval, the company is also a member of the FAA’s Integration Partnership Agreement, which advises the Agency on how to incorporate such craft into the National Airspace System.
Guardian’s platform, which already has more than USD100 million in customer orders, “is the only autonomous, electric, aerial crop protection system designed specifically for large-scale agriculture,” continues the release. “And unlike existing unmanned autonomous systems, Guardian designs and manufactures its system entirely within the U.S., supporting the country’s competitiveness, jobs and ensuring national security.”
Background
Founded in 2017, and with offices in Massachusetts and California, Guardian has raised more than USD20 million in funding. The company boasts a top leadership team covering engineering and autonomy.
Employing drones for agriculture, in particular for crop spraying, has been in use in Asia for some years now. It is widespread in the south-east of the region with South Korea using these craft for approximately 30 percent of their agriculture spraying. These specialist drones are able to navigate very hard to reach areas, such as steep tea fields at high elevations.
In America, companies like RYSE Technologies and Rotor, view agriculture as a major part of their market and over the next 10 years, competition will dramatically increase as more businesses enter this lucrative global commercial sector valued at USD65 billion annually.
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(Top image: Guardian Agriculture)