Farm Journal first encountered Rotor Technologies’ Sprayhawk at the Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems Open House outside of Seneca, Kan., this summer. The impressive aircraft spent the day on the ground at that event, but last week the New Hampshire-based startup successfully demonstrated Sprayhawk’s air worthiness for a large group of ag aviation professionals at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
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The gas-powered autonomous helicopters are equipped with a 33-foot spray boom and a 110-gal. tank. Rotor CEO Hector Xu says the autonomous choppers can cover 240 acres per hour - a vast leap forward over many of the spray drone technologies on the market today.
Comparison data on the Rotor website claims Sprayhawk costs about $2 per acre to operate and can be safely flown with a two person crew consisting of a remote pilot-in-charge and a visual observer.
FAA regulatory approval, via a 44807 Exemption for Commercial Agricultural Operations, will be included with purchase, according to Rotor. The company will also provide in-person operator training to ensure a smooth integration.
Pricing-wise, the R550 Ready to Spray package currently sits at $1,500,000. A Sprayhawk retrofit Ready to Spray kit, which converts an existing Robinson R44 chopper into a flying autonomous sprayer, would set you back $700,000.
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There is also an “early adopter” discount available until December 15 if you’re sold and want one of these bad boys in your hangar asap. The press release announcing pricing and availability for 2025 does not specifically mention any financing options, but we did reach out and confirm with VP of Partnerships Nicholas Coates the startup is currently working on securing financing and insurance partners.
“With Sprayhawk, we’re bringing a new standard in agricultural UAVs, merging large payload capacity with cutting-edge autonomy to support safety, precision agriculture, and sustainability,” said CEO Hector Xu.
So far, two Sprayhawk production prototypes are undergoing flight testing ahead of joint operations with a select number of operators across the U.S. who will be participating in Rotor’s Joint Development Program this growing season.
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