Farm Journal was given the unique opportunity to participate in Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems 2024 Field Day. The event was held to give interested parties more details on Kelly Hills’ new UAS Test Range as well as showcase the world’s current largest autonomous spray drone, the Pyka Pelican Spray.
Heinen Brothers Agra Services, a provider of aerial application services throughout the Midwest, and its subsidiary Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems gained FAA approval in July for an ag drone test range spanning four states and 49,000 square miles of Class G, or unrestricted, controlled airspace.
FAA approved the unmanned aerial systems test range covering partial airspace in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. The range provides the ability to host fixed-wing, multirotor, and rotary-wing systems testing applications on ten different crops including corn, soybeans and milo. The state of Kansas itself sits at a unique intersection of agriculture and aviation technology innovation.
The aerial application service providers hosted the open house event at its home airfield near Seneca, Kansas, showcasing the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. Pelican Spray autonomous spray drone. The drone has been in development for the past seven years and originates from California. It is electric-powered and equipped with GPS and LiDAR systems to allow it to takeoff, fly, and land autonomously. It can cover 150-220 acres of cropland per hour, according to Pyka representatives at the event.
The drone is also currently being test flown in South and Central America, where regulations on spray drones are more relaxed than here in the U.S.
Pelican Spray weighs 700 pounds empty and can carry a 620 pound payload, or 74 gallons of crop protection chemical in its tank. It features a 1-2 gallon per acre application rate and it can apply while flying at speeds up to 70 mph. and as close to 9 feet above the crop canopy. It requires a runway of about 600 meters long by 30 meters wide and can land and takeoff from dirt, grass, and concrete surfaces. It reportedly costs just north of $500,000.
Pelican Spray is also capable of applying at night, although FAA regulations currently ban commercial drone night flights without an approved FAA waiver. The drone is powered by 3 swap-able large 18 KwH lithium ion batteries that are housed in the craft’s nose cone.
The fact that Pelican Spray is built in California is unique because U.S. lawmakers have been considering restrictive actions that could include an outright ban of drone technology produced in China. The legislation appears to have bipartisan support, although it has seemed to stall in recent weeks as the focus shifts to the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election. The two largest spray drone manufacturers worldwide, DJI and XAG, are both headquartered in mainland China.
Check out this quick video edit from the event to see the Pyka Pelican Spray in action. The next generation of large-scale application by drone appears to be upon us!
