Draganfly Announces Expanded Solutions-Based Product Line with Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Ground-Based Robot, and Universal Control System

Commercial UAV specialists, Draganfly Innovations Inc.- today announced the development of the new additions to their product line. Like Draganfly’s existing offerings, these new products are purpose built to save time and money for operators while improving the quality of mission-critical data used within the many industries the company serves.

The new handheld Universal Control System (UCS) enables the user to operate the Tango2 fixed-wing, the DraganScout ground-based robot, or any of the Draganflyer multi-rotor platforms, including the Draganflyer Commander quadcopter.

The Tango2 increases commercial use cases by offering long duration flight times and the innovative design allows for lower airspeeds, which translates to lower altitudes and higher resolution. This high endurance, multi-battery small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) is capable of carrying a wide array of payloads and is ideal for tactical operations, search and rescue, agriculture, industrial inspection, surveying and mapping, and aerial 3D modeling.

The DraganScout is a unique ground-based robot capable of morphing into different configurations to traverse a wide range of obstacles, including climbing stairs, to perform mission critical jobs. Draganfly’s patented folding wheel design makes this one of the most versatile robots on the market, allowing it to quickly move into position and then transforms the wheel shape to climb stairs or stand vertically. The DraganScout is ideal for public safety use, including bomb detection and tactical situations, as well as a variety of industrial inspections.

Universal Control System (UCS)

· Adaptive software suite controls multiple vehicle types (multi-rotor, fixed-wing, ground robot)
· Draganfly-developed mission planning software and mapping system with sophisticated data logging
· Secure digital video downlink and recording
· The UCS is integrated with aerial acquisition and 3D Pix4D mapping software
· Ergonomically designed and balanced to accept multiple style tablets, including the Panasonic Toughpad™
· For the first time, Draganfly will offer white label and OEM opportunities on this new universal control system

Tango2 Fixed-Wing

· The aircraft flies 2 to 3 hours with standard battery packs, 4 to 6 hours with additional batteries, and 14+ hours with solar panel add-ons, and supports a wide range of payloads to deliver exceptional performance
· The aircraft uses Draganfly’s intelligent power management system to not only prolong flight time but to increase the level of operational safety
· The high-performance tandem-wing configuration enables the Tango2 to fly at slower speeds than other fixed-wing aircraft, which supports greater image resolution and precision.
· The autopilot system features automated take-off, flight plan execution, and landing with refined fail-safe features
· Launched by catapult, the plane’s high-lift wing design provides both a steep takeoff and steep landing profile, allowing for operations to be performed in areas with short runways and small clearings
· The modular payload bay supports multi-axis stabilized data acquisition options such as high-res EO color, thermal, multi-spectral, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and other customized sensors
· Digital video down-link range of 5km

DraganScout Ground-Based Robot

· The patented morphing wheel design and telescopic payload extension boom make this robot multi-mission capable
· Easily switch between configurations to roll, climb, stand, and look under objects, all on uneven surfaces or sloped terrain
· Exceptional endurance and wireless range
· On-board autopilot
· Powerful stabilized color zoom payload with optional infrared lighting or visible spotlight
· Two-way audio
· Secure digital video down-link

“At Draganfly, we focus on continuously innovating in order to maximize the performance with every new product we launch. We’re incredibly proud of the UCS, Tango2, and DraganScout and how they can work in concert in many different operations and we believe they will further accelerate the already significant growth in commercial use of drones,” said Draganfly’s founder and president, Zenon Dragan.

Draganfly’s CEO, Cameron Chell, said of the announcement, “These products signify Draganfly’s continued leadership in the commercial space. Providing our customers the ability to use one controller to operate all of their Draganfly drones creates ease and reduces costs. Further, the addition of the Tango2 fixed-wing and DraganScout ground-based robot rounds out our portfolio by having all aspects of an operation covered.

Imagine the benefit of having a fleet of our drones working together to provide solutions with maximum efficiency. For example, envision a public safety operation that requires the ability to generate valuable information safely from the ground with our robot, aerial footage from our hovering quad, and wide, sweeping surveying intelligence from our fixed-wing that can loiter in the air for hours on end never missing any of the action. We think this is a huge force multiplier for our customers.”