Pyka Delivers Pelican Spray to Major North
American Aerial Spray Service Provider
ALAMEDA,
Calif., Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pyka, maker
of Pelican Spray, the world's largest autonomous electric crop
protection aircraft, is pleased to announce Heinen Brothers Agra
Services, one of the largest privately owned aerial application
service providers in North
America, as its first Pelican Spray customer in the United States.
"New tools like Pelican Spray will help us
better serve our customers and their fields."
Heinen Brothers Agra Services will now begin integrating Pelican
Spray into their extensive fleet of agricultural aircraft. This
addition will enhance their operations across the Midwest, South,
and Western regions of the U.S., enabling them to better meet peak
customer demand through large-scale automation of their aerial
application services.
This partnership follows Pyka's groundbreaking FAA authorization
for the commercial operation of Pelican Spray in the U.S., making
Pelican Spray the largest ever UAS authorized by the FAA for
commercial use and enabling Pyka to offer its innovative technology
to American farmers.
"We've been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to begin
operations with Pelican Spray," said Lukas
Koch, Chief Technology Officer at Heinen Brothers Agra
Services. "As experts in aerial application, we see the potential
for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) 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."
"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," said Volker Fabian, Chief Commercial Officer at Pyka.
"We are thrilled to partner with them and excited to commence U.S.
operations with Pelican Spray."
The two companies will celebrate the launch of their partnership
and the delivery of Pelican Spray to Heinen Brothers Agra Services
with a live flight demonstration and Q&A event at Heinen
Brothers' corporate headquarters later this month.
About Pyka:
Pyka is defining the future of safe,
environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective aviation with
autonomous electric airplanes for crop protection and cargo
delivery. Pyka's proprietary technology includes autonomous flight
control software, flight computers, high energy density batteries,
advanced electric propulsion systems, and carbon composite
airframes. Learn more at www.flypyka.com.
About Heinen Brothers Agra Services:
Heinen Brothers Agra Services is a full-service ag retailer
located in the heart of the Midwest. Headquartered in Seneca, KS, they focus on bringing reliable
products and services to their growers in several states.
Heinen Brothers and its subsidiary
Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems, offer diverse aviation solutions and
specialize in providing timely aerial application services to
maximize yields and profits. Learn more at www.heinenbrosag.com or
www.kellyhills.us.
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SOURCE Pyka