Pyka, the company behind Pelican Spray, the largest autonomous electric crop protection aircraft in the world, has announced that Heinen Brothers Agra Services, a leading aerial application service provider in North America, has become its first U.S. customer. Heinen Brothers will integrate the Pelican Spray into their fleet, enhancing their agricultural operations across the Midwest, South, and Western United States through advanced automation.
The partnership marks a significant milestone for Pyka following the recent FAA authorization for commercial operations of Pelican Spray in the U.S. This authorization makes Pelican Spray the largest unmanned aerial system ever approved by the FAA for commercial use, enabling Pyka to introduce its cutting-edge technology to American agriculture.
Lukas Koch, Chief Technology Officer at Heinen Brothers Agra Services, expressed enthusiasm for the new collaboration. "We’ve been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to begin operations with Pelican Spray," Koch said. "As experts in aerial application, we see the potential for Uncrewed Aerial Systems to revolutionize our industry, offering significant cost-saving benefits to American farmers. Pelican Spray is the first autonomous agricultural solution that delivers the necessary work rate and spray performance needed to provide a viable commercial solution to begin augmenting our current fleet. Ultimately, we want to keep the pilots of our manned aircraft safer, so we are adopting a proactive approach that will allow UAS to handle certain workloads that will get our traditional pilots home safely to their families and loved ones. On an agronomic front, timing is very important for crop health; new tools like Pelican Spray will help us better serve our customers and their fields. These are groundbreaking times, we hope to facilitate even more agricultural innovation through collaboration with future companies that can unlock even more value from platforms like Pelican Spray. We are excited for the future of ag aviation and look forward to a long and productive partnership with Pyka."
Volker Fabian, Chief Commercial Officer at Pyka, highlighted Heinen Brothers' progressive approach in adopting new technology. "Heinen Brothers is a forward-thinking organization that embraces new technologies to enhance the capabilities of American producers and improve the nation’s food production systems overall," Fabian said. "We are thrilled to partner with them and excited to commence U.S. operations with Pelican Spray."
To celebrate the partnership, Pyka and Heinen Brothers Agra Services will host a Field Day at Heinen Brothers’ corporate headquarters later this month, marking the official launch of their collaboration and the delivery of Pelican Spray.
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