Communications of the ACM
FAA Approves Largest Uncrewed Aircraft System in the U.S.
Pyka's autonomous zero-emissions crop sprayers are the largest uncrewed aircraft to receive flight approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Credit: Commercial UAV News
Electric aircraft startup Pyka announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the company's commercial operation of its autonomous zero-emissions crop sprayers in the U.S.
Pyka currently leases its Pelican Spray aircraft to agricultural and crop-spraying firms in Costa Rica, Honduras, and Brazil, and it intends to expand their use to U.S. farms with FAA clearance.
The crop sprayers must land every 15 minutes to refill their chemical tanks and swap their batteries.
Pyka's Chuma Ogunwole said the 1,125-pound Pelican Spray is the largest uncrewed aircraft system to receive FAA authorization for commercial U.S. operations to date.
From Bloomberg
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