Delair Ag drone for surveying and crop mapping

Delair Ag is built around the Delair UX11 Ag, a new fixed-wing drone optimized for the agriculture industry, and Delair Aerial Intelligence (delair.ai), an aerial intelligence platform. According to the French manufacturer, Delair Ag provides a complete, integrated and easy-to-use workflow to collect, manage, analyze and share agriculture data.

_{Text continues underneath image}

The drone weigs 1.4 kg. Its dimensions and takeoff capabilities make hand launching possible. – Photos: Delair

Unlock value of drone-based data

“Developed for agricultural companies, service providers, and researchers, Delair Ag unlocks the value of drone-based data, whether it is for crop health monitoring, field experimentation analysis, automatic machine guidance, precision ag practices or better crop traceability,” says Delair.

Flight time of up to 55 minutes

The Delair UX11-Ag fixed-wing drone, designed for BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) flights, is said to reduce the amount of time and money required to provide detailed surveys of large-scale agriculture operations. With a flight time of up to 55 minutes, the Delair UAV typically covers up to 150 ha (370 ac) per flight (or up to 30 ha/25 ac in 10 minutes) at 150m (400 ft).

Operational cost of € 0,7/ha

Its precise automatic geolocation – PPK as you go – and wide area imaging technology further decrease its operational cost, which, according to Delair, can be as low as € 0,7/ha. In addition, its ease of use should make it faster to set up and deploy, and a so-called “ag-proof’ design lowers maintenance costs.

_{Text continues underneath video}

3G/4G cellular connectivity

Once airborne, real time monitoring and 3G/4G cellular connectivity gives pilots flexibility to adjust flights and camera settings, as well as see and verify results as they are collected to ensure the highest quality images are obtained. “As a result, its ROI is extremely high, enabling the customer to see a payback in as a little as a few flights,” says Delair.

High-grade multispectral camera

The Delair UX11-Ag features the MicaSense RedEdge MX, a fully integrated high-grade multispectral camera to see the plant level of most crops and provide the industry’s best quality agriculture data. The sensor generates plant health indexes and RGB (color) images and is calibrated for precise, repeatable measurements.

_{Text continues underneath images}

The drone weigs 1.4 kg. Its dimensions and takeoff capabilities make hand launching possible. The UAV features BTOL (bird-like take-off and landing) for steep-climb take offs and descents in confined areas, reducing down time between flights and extending its use to challenging environments such as dense vegetation in plantations or forests.

Also read: Drone spraying and spreading becoming reality