Featured NewsProduct NewsGoing BIG: Rotor launches world’s largest civilian drone
15 August 2024
Rotor Technologies, Inc., announced two new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the 2025 model year: Airtruck, a utility UAV with 1,000-plus pounds of payload, and Sprayhawk, an agricultural UAV with 110-gallon capacity.
Introductory pricing for both aircraft is less than $1 million.
Airtruck and Skyhawk, both based on the Robinson R44 full-scale helicopter, have a maximum takeoff weight of 2,500 pounds each, making them the largest civilian drones available to purchase in the world.
Rotor and Robinson have collaborated on development and certification; the two companies displayed a static pre-production prototype of the Airtruck, previously referred to as the R550X, at Heli-Expo earlier this year.
“With the unveiling of the Airtruck and Skyhawk, we’re excited to bring drone manufacturing back to the United States — by being bigger, bolder, and more innovative than our global competition,” said Rotor CEO Hector Xu.
“These two aircraft bear unprecedented capability that will be transformative for drone operators, who for many years have wanted longer flight times and larger payloads.”
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 U.S. and Brazil for 2025 Model Year Airtrucks and Sprayhawks, with delivery slots still available for late 2025 and early 2026.
The first 2025 production run will be limited to 15 Sprayhawks and 10 Airtrucks. Introductory pricing is $850,000 for the Airtruck and $990,000 for the Sprayhawk for orders placed before December 15, 2024.
Rotor chief commercial officer Ben Frank emphasized the market impact of Airtruck and Sprayhawk in response to the increasing use of UAVs in critical industrial applications.
“We think that the Sprayhawk and Airtruck are the right path forward for U.S. farmers, aerial applicators, and the construction and logistics industries,” said Frank.
“Many of the 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 new slogan, ‘Big Drones for Tough Jobs’ will show the world that we mean business.”
