16 September 2024
Rotor Technologies, Inc., enters the agricultural market with the Sprayhawk, an automated crop dusting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The Sprayhawk is an unmanned aircraft based on the Robinson R44 full-scale helicopter; it can carry 110 gallons and spray over 240 acres per hour.
The Sprayhawk is said to be the largest agricultural drone available in the world. It can take off and land vertically and can be operated by a ground crew of just two people.
It features a 120-gallon spray tank with 33-foot spray booms, autonomous spray path and terrain following algorithms, and camera and LIDAR sensors for detecting wires and avoiding obstacles.
The Sprayhawk is powered by a Lycoming six-cylinder aviation engine and can spray at over 80 miles per hour with a flight time of 50 minutes between refueling.
The Sprayhawk matches the spray speed and capacity of manned aircraft, while offering significantly lower operating costs and improved safety.
“The Sprayhawk represents a significant leap forward in agricultural aviation,” said Rotor CEO Hector Xu. “We’ve combined the capabilities of a full-scale helicopter with the cost-effectiveness and safety of a drone. There’s nothing else on the market that’s as productive, reliable, and future-proof as this.”
The first Sprayhawk production aircraft has been completed and is undergoing ground testing ahead of delivery to an agricultural partner in the U.S. Midwest later this year.
The first batch of production Sprayhawks will be delivered to early-access partners throughout spring 2025 and are expected to begin commercial spraying operations in the 2025 corn run.
Rotor is opening up orders to customers in the US and Brazil for 2025 Model Year Sprayhawks, with delivery slots still available for late 2025 and early 2026. The first 2025 production run will be limited to 15 aircraft.
The introductory price for the Sprayhawk is $990,000 for orders placed before December 15, 2024. The system comes in a “ready-to-spray” configuration and includes the Sprayhawk UAV, a 120-gallon tank and 33-foot spray boom system, a helicopter transport trailer, and a ground control station.
Rotor chief commercial officer Ben Frank emphasized the market impact of the Sprayhawk in response to the rise of smaller agricultural UAVs.
“We think that the Sprayhawk is the right path forward for US farmers and aerial applicators,” said Frank. “Many of the agricultural drones on the market today are unlikely to stand the test of time. The need for larger and more reliable aircraft is clear and our aggressive introductory pricing for the 2025 model year is designed to speed up adoption.”
The Sprayhawk is designed to maximize operator efficiency and profitability. Its economic performance exceeds that of other comparable agricultural spraying solutions.
Rotor offers training, maintenance plans, and regulatory support to Sprayhawk customers to ensure seamless deployment in any agricultural setting.
Note to readers: The above content is from a Rotor Technologies press release.
