Pyka, an Oakland, CA-based agricultural drone company known for its pioneering crop-dusting work in several Latin American countries, is starting to gain serious traction in the United States.  The 6-year old firm recently received FAA certification to conduct its data-driven pesticide spraying operations on US farms nationwide, without the need for special waivers.  To date, no other agricultural drone concern has received such a high-level regulatory seal of approval, a tribute to the company’s sterling reputation based on its past work in countries like Brazil, Honduras and Costa Rica.

It’s a huge breakthrough for Pyka, which was virtually unknown in U.S. drone industry circles just a few months ago.

Pyka’s state-of-the-art Pelican AG drone weighs a massive 1,125 pounds and can carry up to 540 lb. (70 gallons) of spray liquid, while covering more than 200 acres of crops per hour.  Owners of large farms  in Latin America have made extensive use of the Pelican AG drone to target pesticides to areas of maximum crop stress, minimizing possible waste of an expensive farm input.  In addition, by replacing piloted turbo-prop planes and ground-based field sprayers, the battery-powered drone has been shown to slash fuel and labor costs, while boosting farm yields and enhancing sustainability.

“We are beyond thrilled to celebrate this commercial approval and regulatory milestone,” said Pyka CEO Michael Norcia. in a press statement.  “Pyka’s aircraft provide an essential tool for protecting crops, unlocking cost savings for growers, and reducing our impact on the environment. This commercial approval is the first step in enabling us to generate massive value for growers in the US, Latin America, and other markets we operate in, while also laying the operational and regulatory groundwork for eventual scaling into uncrewed cargo operations worldwide.”

Thanks to the FAA’s regulatory seal-of-approval, Pyka’s impressive cargo drone operations are also gaining fresh notice.  UK-based Skyports recently asked Pyka to join its expanding fleet of heavy duty delivery drones to carry outsize packages and large volume payloads beyond the capacities of its smaller aircraft.  Skyports was recently tagged to oversee the British Postal Services autonomous mail delivery operations.  Pyka plans to modify its dual-purpose Pelican AG drone to perform in this new role, which will bring the company further exposure and acclaim and allow it to acquire additional certifications to conduct crop-dusting operations throughout Europe.

A number of Asian countries, especially India and China, which are heavily promoting drone operations in agriculture, are also on Pyka’s rapidly expanding list of future targets of opportunity.

Skyports’ Drone Services Director Alex Brown said  Pyka “brings us entirely new capabilities. [It] means we can now fly significant volumes of cargo long distances, connecting communities in remote areas and providing a regular, robust form of transport in and out of hard-to-reach areas.”  In addition to heavy mail delivery, Brown said Skyports plans on using Pyka’s cargo aircraft to transport larger reserves for humanitarian aid groups, logistics and delivery companies, and healthcare and medical customers.

“It’s a real game changer,” Brown said.