Commercial drone technology company Airware has announced a partnership with another drone manufacturer that will add a different type of aircraft to the company’s current offerings.
Airware, which sells drones and end-to-end mapping solutions to construction, mining, surveying and other business customers, currently offers only rotary drones (those driven by a number of rotors). But through a new agreement with senseFly, Airware will now be able to offer the fixed-wing eBee Plus drone to its customers.
The eBee Plus is a lightweight survey-grade drone that can map 220 hectares (540 acres) in a single 59-minute flight. Many surveyors prefer fixed-wing drones to rotary models due to the longer flight times and higher speeds fixed-wing drones are capable of. These advantages make quicker work of surveying large areas than the heavier, slower and more battery-hungry rotary models.
As part of the deal, the eBee Plus will also be sold through Caterpillar dealers. In February, Cat announced an investment in Airware designed to accelerate the rollout of drone solutions in its dealerships and make the technology “a core part of their business.”
Dealers will offer services that “combine senseFly’s automated data collection with Airware’s enterprise-focused workflow, professional services, training, and cloud-based analytics that turn aerial data into business intelligence,” Airware says.
