At Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, commercial drone company Draganfly unveiled three new products: a Long Range LiDAR system which can be used as a mobile LiDAR system on drones, manned aircraft, or mounted to another vehicle or backpack; a North American-made Heavy Lift Drone, and the smaller “Swiss Army Knife” Commander 3 XL Drone. In an interview, Draganfly’s CEO Cameron Chell says the new offerings reflect the current needs of their customers.

Draganfly Inc. [NASDAQ:DPRO] is one of the holdings in the AdvisorShares Drone Technology ETF [NYSE ARCA:UAV], the only ETF dedicated to the drone economy. The AdvisorShares Drone Technology ETF is a thematic investment strategy seeking to capture the growth opportunities in drones and autonomous vehicles (AV).  AdvisorShares is a DRONELIFE sponsor.

“Draganfly has been in the industry for such a long time, we have the luxury of having a lot of customers that tell us exactly what they need,” Chell said.  “Customers are coming to us with specific use cases, like LiDAR.  An airframe is an airframe is an airframe – the payload or the sensor is what people are focused on.  Those customers also want to be able to use the same LiDAR unit for different purposes.”

Price and manufacturing choices were also designed to meet customer requirements.  “People need a North American manufactured drone, at a reasonable price point,” Chell commented.  “We didn’t build an aircraft for a market that we hope is there.  We built an aircraft for the market we know.”

The New Aircraft

Draganfly’s Heavy Lift Drone is “designed to lift more and fly further,” says the announcement. “Capable of automated missions and manual flight operations, the Company’s heavy-duty, robust UAV has a payload lift capacity of 67 pounds and up to 55 minutes of flight time.”

It’s an aircraft over 55 pounds, designed for heavy work – and users have a wide variety of applications they’re ready to deploy in the field.  “Our initial testers generally come from government agencies,” said Chell. “And the thing that stands out is that they are enthusiastic about helping us get through that FAA process that will allow them to deploy – they see immediate use for this.  The ROI is there.  It’s easy to use, and easy to train.”

The smaller Commander 3 XL Drone is designed for rapid deployment – it’s a high-endurance, weather-resistant, multirotor that can do it all, with a payload lift capacity of up to 26 pounds. “It can do the same optics as the average $2,000 commercial drone – but now you also have capabilities for heavy industry,” said Chell.  Both Commander 3 XL and the Heavy Lift are multipurpose, and designed to handle interchangeable payloads, including optical and thermal imaging solutions, specialized delivery containers, and the company’s Long Range LiDAR system.  “We believe the better integrated the payload is, the better for the user.”
Draganfly’s Long Range LiDAR system is also multi-purpose: suitable for a variety of use cases, including mapping and surveying forests, cities, real estate, energy infrastructure, and telecommunications infrastructure.

What Comes Next

From their inception in 1998, Draganfly has evolved with the industry: with the launch of these new products, they’re continuing to serve a developing market.  The company’s longevity provides them with a unique perspective on where the industry is today – and what comes next.

“I still think it’s all regulation – this industry is going to live and die on regulation,” said Chell. “BVLOS [flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight] is the immediate one, and automation and remote operation comes next.  Right now we’re in a ‘grind it out’ phase…it’s been 15 years of grinding it out.”   If that’s a long time to reach industry maturity, Chell is optimistic about the ultimate outcome.

“I do believe it will take longer than anybody thinks – but I also believe it will be bigger than anybody thinks.”

Read more about Draganfly: