OLNEY, Texas — Air Tractor has expanded into the field of unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones or remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), with the recent acquisition of Hangar 78 UAV, and its flagship aircraft, the Yield Defender unmanned aerial system (UAS).
“We have done our research, and it’s clear that aggressively investing and further developing unmanned aerial systems into agriculture will enable Air Tractor to remain an industry leader and provide the latest technology to ag producers as UAS capabilities mature and are integrated into the industry,” said Jim Hirsch, president of Air Tractor.
In tandem with the purchase, former Hangar 78 UAV Managing Partner, Wes Hall has been appointed to Vice President of UAS Technologies to lead integration and further development for Yield Defender.
Yield Defender is an unmanned aerial system specifically engineered to serve the agriculture industry. The RPA features sensors using Near Infrared (NIR), thermal imaging, and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology integrated with CropVue web-based flight management. Manufacturing, research and development will be headquartered in Olney, Texas.