On November 29, the SKYF team presented the world’s biggest multi-rotor drone in Tatarstan, Russia. The guests of the event witnessed the demo flights of two modifications of the machine, SKYF CARGO and SKYF AGRO.
SKYF CARGO broke the world’s record with a flight of 100 meters with 100 kilograms load on board. The company has already applied to the Guinness Book of Records committee to mark this breakthrough.
SKYF AGRO demonstrated an autonomous system for crop dusting developed at SKYF design bureau. The spraying jet is positioned under the main rotor and produces a fog rather than larger droplets spray, which gives greater coverage of the target area by surrounding the plant.
The developers of SKYF also invited the guests to the startup’s backstage, to the manufacturing facility , the design and engineering bureau , showed old prototypes, and told some aviation stories.
Representatives of the largest agricultural, logistics and oil companies such as PONY EXPRESS, Helikaz SA, Slavneft-Megionneftegaz, Syngenta AG, and others were among the guests.
“We have finally completed a critical stage in the SKYF’s development and production. Now, we are happy to share the results. SKYF AGRO is already fully prepared for trial operations. We hope SKYF CARGO modification will be ready at the end of 2019. Also, we start preparing the launch of mass production. I am sure that ‘air trucks’ will become a kind of routine soon,” said Alexander Timofeev, SKYF’s CEO.
All settings and destinations for SKYF drone are set with an iPad. The machine is programmed to steer clear of any restricted areas and can detect oncoming traffic. The drone is suitable for a variety of applications, including cargo delivery and agriculture.
The first five SKYF drones are set to start operating over the fields of Tatarstan, Russia in 2019 as aerial crop sprayers. By 2020, a hundred of ‘air trucks’ will be manufactured.
The cost of a SKYF flight hour is calculated to be ten times lower compared to a helicopter. A fuel use rate is calculated at 30 liters per hour. The drone uses ordinary gasoline instead of expensive aviation fuel that makes maintenance cheaper and more accessible .
SKYF plans to reach a significant export potential as a simple, roomy and multipurpose machine that can be used for tundra, taiga and deserts even under extreme temperatures. Several European countries, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Japan, and Sweden have already expressed interest in the $225,000 apiece machines.
Source: Press Release