Pyka has announced Heinen Brothers Agra Services as its first Pelican Spray customer in the United States, according to a joint press release.
Heinen Brothers (Seneca, Kansas) is one of the largest privately owned aerial application service providers in North America. Pyka manufactures and distributes Pelican Spray, a high-capacity, autonomous electric crop protection application aircraft.
Heinen Brothers says it will immediately begin integrating Pelican Spray into its fleet of agricultural aircraft. The service provider believes this new large spray drone/aircraft will help it meet peak customer demand through large-scale automation of a portion of its aerial application services.
The partnership follows Pyka’s recent FAA authorization for the commercial operation of Pelican Spray in the U.S. The company says Pelican Spray is the largest UAS authorized by the FAA for commercial use.
“We see the potential for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) to revolutionize our industry, offering significant cost-saving benefits to American farmers,” says Lukas Koch, chief technology officer, Heinen Brothers Agra Services. “Pelican Spray is the first autonomous agricultural solution that delivers the necessary work rate and spray performance to provide a viable commercial solution for farmers. We are excited for the future of ag aviation and look forward to a long and productive partnership with Pyka.”
Koch adds that the addition of Pyka will help Heinen Brothers pilots complete more spray jobs in a safe manner, and help the company cover more acres for its farmer-customers.
The two companies will celebrate the launch of the partnership and delivery of Pelican Spray to Heinen Brothers Agra Services with a field day and Q&A event at Heinen Brothers’ corporate headquarters later this month.
