Drone News & Articles

What Is the Best Drone on the Market?

Even if you have no good reason to justify buying one, you have to admit that drones are cool. Some are glorified tech toys, but most models we highlight here are fit for use in imaging and cinematic applications small and large. If you think you can use a flying camera in your next project, there's some good news—the tech has come a long way in a very short time. There are models on the market now that put earlier copters to shame in terms of video quality and stabilization.

And now the bad news. You get what you pay for, and if you want an aerial video platform that can capture stunning footage, you need to be ready to spend some cash. Because drones are such pricey propositions, it pays to do your research before buying one. We've tested many of the ready-to-fly models on the market to determine what's important to look for, and the best models available.

There are low-cost drones on the market (we've rounded some of the top-rated options under $100 on Amazon), but you're still looking at spending a few hundred dollars to get a solid model that's stable in flight with an excellent integrated camera.

The drones we review are ready-to-fly models, so you can use them right out of the box. In most cases, you'll need to bring your own Android or iOS device to view the camera feed in real-time, but we've reviewed a few models that stream video directly to a remote control. We don't cover racing, industrial, or agricultural aircraft here—our focus is on aircraft intended for aerial imaging and videography.

Regulations and Safety

The rules of the air vary from region to region—we've covered what to know for US and UK pilots. But, typically, if your drone weighs 8.8 ounces (250g) and up, you'll need to register it in order to fly it outdoors legally—even over your own property.

There is one mass-market exception, the recently announced DJI Mavic Mini ($400). Its 249g takeoff weight avoids the need for registration in the US and UK, and opens it up to (legal) operation in other regions.

It skips a safety feature—obstacle avoidance—to make weight, though. But it includes all of the other expected tools to help ensure a safe flight, including GPS stabilization, automated return-to-home, and automatic takeoff and landing.

Almost all of the models featured here have some safety features. Even the DJI Spark, which isn't built for long-distance flight, includes a GPS and automatic return-to-home functionality. If your control signal is interrupted, or if the battery gets down too low (most drones can only fly for about 25 minutes on a single battery charge), you drone will start to head back to its takeoff point and land.

What Are the Best Brands of Drones?

DJI models currently dominate our top picks, and there's a good reason for that. The company is simply a few steps ahead of its competition right now, and has a product catalog with models at various price points, which take up a good number of the slots in our top ten. It made a huge splash with its iconic Phantom series, and now makes the best small drones we've tested in the form of the Mavic series.

DJI's pro line is dubbed Inspire and is currently in its second generation. Inspire models offer functionality well beyond what you get with a Phantom, including dual-operator support—one person flying and the other working the camera—as well as interchangeable lenses and camera modules, a Raw cinema workflow, and retractable landing gear.

There are a few other brands to consider when looking for a drone. Autel makes the Evo, which is similar to a Mavic, but has an LCD in the remote so you don't need to connect your phone. Parrot, which is based in France, offers the Anafi, another good folding drone, and is an option for consumers wary of buying tech from Chinese firms.

Your purchase choices may be driven by politics, but we look more closely at product performance and value. The price of DJI drones recently increased across the board for US customers, a response to increases in import tariffs. As result, competing drones from Autel, Parrot, and Yuneec are more compelling alternatives, as their prices have not yet ticked upward.

Small vs. Large Drones

For a long time, the DJI Phantom series was about as small as you could go if you wanted to get a full-featured drone that maintains stability in the air and includes strong safety features. That's no longer the case. Hikers and travel photographers appreciate a small, light kit, and they can now get a drone that fits into a backpack. The Ryze Trello or DJI Mavic Mini would be a good choice.

Of course, not every small drone is a top flyer. Some are barely capable of getting off the ground and require you to use your smartphone as a remote control, which makes for a sloppy control experience. Make sure to read reviews before spending your hard-earned cash on a compact quadcopter.

The Best Drones for Pros

The DJI Inspire 2 is aimed at professional cinematographers, news organizations, and independent filmmakers. And it's priced as such—its $2,000 MSRP doesn't include a camera. You have the option of adding a 1-inch sensor fixed-lens camera, a Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens model, or a Super35mm cinema mount with its own proprietary lens system and support for 6K video capture.

BEST MODELS LINEUP:

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Pros: Superlative 4K video. 20MP Raw and JPG still imaging. Great battery life. Compact, foldable design. Obstacle avoidance sensors.

Cons: 8GB internal memory isn't much. No DCI format support. Expensive.

Bottom Line: The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the best small drone on the market, with superior image and video quality, obstacle avoidance, and excellent battery life.

DJI Inspire 2 RevieW

Pros: Magnesium alloy body. Interchangeable cameras. 5.2K video. CinemaDNG and ProRes recording. High-speed Sport mode. Obstacle detection and avoidance. Retractable landing gear and 360-degree camera rotation. Dual-operator control with FPV pilot camera. Intelligent flight modes.

Cons: High-performance computer required for video editing. Expensive. Adobe Premiere CC bug hampers CinemaDNG workflow.

Bottom Line: If money is no object, the DJI Inspire 2 is the best drone you can buy, delivering Raw video capture at 5.2K quality, superb build quality, and top-end performance.

Autel Robotics EVO 

Pros: Compact, folding design. Stable 4K video at up to 60fps. Log video profile. Supports UHD and DCI formats. Obstacle avoidance system. Solid battery life. Works with or without a smartphone.

Cons: Default video profile appears oversharpened. Memory card door is very tight. Not as many safety features as other drones.

Bottom Line: The Autel Robotics EVO is a very solid small drone with strong battery life, a stabilized 4K camera, and an obstacle detection system.

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom

Pros: Smooth, sharp 4K video. 2x optical zoom lens. Excellent battery life. Compact, folding design. Obstacle detection system. High-resolution stitched image mode. Raw and HDR photos.

Cons: Could use more internal memory. Omits DCI aspect ratio. Pricey.

Bottom Line: The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom sets itself apart from other drones thanks to an optical zoom lens. It's loaded with features, including obstacle avoidance, and is a fine choice for enthusiast pilots.

Parrot AnafI

Pros: Very small. Charges via USB-C. 4K video with HDR. 3x digital zoom lens. Upward gimbal tilt. Big battery for 25-minute flights.

Cons: No obstacle detection. Digital zoom cuts into 4K quality. Requires smartphone. Construction feels a little flimsy.

Bottom Line: The Parrot Anafi puts all emphasis on size-the small, folding drone is ideal for travel, thanks to 4K video capture, a small airframe, and USB charging.

DJI Mavic Air

Pros: Very small. High bit-rate 4K UHD video. HDR and Panorama still capture. Raw and JPG support. Asteroid video shot. Good obstacle avoidance. Automated flight modes.

Cons: Doesn't support USB charging. No 4K DCI video. Panorama stitching needs some work. Real-world flight limited to about 18 minutes.

Bottom Line: The Mavic Air is DJI's smallest, most portable drone, and is just as full-featured as its larger siblings.

DJI SparK

Pros: Small. Supports gesture controls. Smartphone-controlled flight. Automated shots. Subject tracking. Forward obstacle avoidance. GPS stabilization. Safety features, including return-to-home.

Cons: Battery nets about 12 minutes of flight time. Limited range and speed when controlling with phone. Video limited to 1080p. No support for 24fps or high frame rate capture. App and video editing features could be easier to use. Dedicated remote control is a pricey add-on.

Bottom Line: The DJI Spark is a $500 palm-size gesture-controlled selfie drone for the masses, but it's hampered by short flying time and an app that could be easier to use.

Ryze Tello

Pros: Inexpensive. Easy to fly. Programmable via Scratch. Bluetooth remote control compatibility. Automated flight modes.

Cons: Pixelated, low-quality video. Limited control range. No GPS or return-to-home capability.

Bottom Line: The Ryze Tello is a toy quadcopter flyable via smartphone or laptop (using Scratch). Its video quality isn't anything to write home about, but it's a fun tech toy and learning tool.

DJI Mavic Mini 

Pros: Low cost of entry. Includes remote control. Excellent battery life. Crisp 2.7K video and 12MP photos. Gimbal stabilization. Automated cinematic camera movements. Find My Drone feature. Doesn't require federal registration.

Cons: Some connectivity issues in testing. Omits obstacle detection sensors. No 24fps video option. Doesn't support Raw or HDR images.

Bottom Line: The DJI Mavic Mini is a lightweight drone that you don't have to register, but spotty connectivity makes it hard to recommend wholeheartedly.

This is a photo of an apple orchard from above. Walsh's research found that scans from UAVs could collect data to help farmers with water, fertilizer, and other decisions.

People have used the phrase "drone on and on" for a long time. Webster's dictionary defines this figure of speech as "to speak for a long time in a dull voice without saying anything interesting."

Yet, in agriculture, drones aren't dull, at all!

Farmers use drones to be more efficient. Drones help farmers improve yields and stay ahead of problems before they become too big.

Olga Walsh, University of Idaho, is researching the use of drones for fruit trees. Most of the agricultural applications for drones - or, more technically unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) - have been on grain crops like wheat, corn and soy.

"Adoption and use of crop sensors in production agriculture saves thousands of dollars every year in many crops," says Walsh. "Crop sensors also help to significantly improve the efficiency of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and water. Finally, drones can minimize negative impacts of agricultural activities on environmental quality."

In Idaho, the fruit industry grows grapes, cranberries, apples, and even alternative fruits like Asian pears. Apples are the largest fruit crop in Idaho, with over 60 million pounds of apples produced per year.1

Walsh's research team focused on applying UAV technology to fruit trees. Her previous work has been with wheat and other crops. "We know drones can be used in orchards," says Walsh. "But there aren't any grower recommendations regarding what data needs to be collected and what kind of data is most useful, depending on the grower objective."

The most promising ways the drones could be employed for the orchards and tree nurseries are:

• taking inventory of tree height and canopy volume;
• monitoring tree health and quality;
• managing water, nutrients, pests and disease in-season;
• estimating fruit/nut production and yield; and,
• creating marketing tools (videos for promotion of the orchard, or sale of trees and fruit).

Like with other uses of drones in agriculture, Walsh's work helps to collect detailed information about the crops, faster than humans could by physically "scouting" the fields. "The UAVs are capable of acquiring images with high resolutions that are ideal for detecting various crop issues," says Walsh.

"The UAV systems allow scanning the crops from above. They obtain high quality images and high-resolution spectral data. This is correlated with plant growth, health, water and nutrient status, and can be used to estimate biomass production." All are indicators of potential yield.

It's not just about the speed of scouting a field. "Sensors can function within regions of the electromagnetic spectrum where human eyes can't," says Walsh. "Sensors are much more reliable and objective than visual assessment. They provide quantitative information (numeric data that can be measured and compared) versus qualitative information (descriptive data that can be observed)."

Team members also perform outreach. "We conduct grower education on the use of remote sensing and using UAVs for crop monitoring," says Walsh. "We do demonstration flights and produce publications to boost grower adoption of precision agriculture methods."

"The overall goal of this work is to strengthen sustainability and competitiveness of Idaho fruit tree producers," says Walsh. "Our findings increased awareness, knowledge, and adoption of crop sensors and UAVs."

And, that's not dull at all!

Australasian mines have seen the highest penetration of technologies in 2019, a GlobalData survey on the adoption of technologies in mine sites shows. According to the report – which was conducted between October and November 2019 in 179 mining sites across the world – not only do Australasian mines use more technologies on-site but mining companies are more willing to invest.

The report shows that 63% of respondents wanted to invest in mine communications systems, compared with 37% and 44% found in Asia and Europe-Middle East, respectively. As for investments in drone technology, Australasia stands out with 56%, compared with Asia’s 34%.

In the last three years, Australian mines have doubled in their investment in drone technology, going from 40% of respondents in 2016 to more than 80% in 2019.

The technological advances in the Australasian mining industry are not a coincidence; according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank, mining constitutes 10% of Australia’s industrial sector, making it one of the biggest contributors to the economy. According to Reuters, the industry’s revenue for the 2019/2020 financial year stands at around $282bn.

GlobalData director of mining and construction David Kurtz said that productivity and safety are at the core of Australian companies’ use and investment in technology.

“The scale of many operations, particularly iron ore, suit investments in areas such as autonomous vehicles. As commodity prices have fallen, miners have looked at autonomous mining and technologies such as drones to minimise costs,” Kurtz told Mining Technology.

“At the same time, with safety paramount, Australian miners are taking advantage of innovations in wearable technology, collision avoidance and fatigue detection to minimise accidents and fatalities on the mine site.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) this week said that it has been making extensive use of drones as it works to clean up the toxic legacy of the Sellafield site and other decommissioned nuclear sites — a task it earlier described as “the largest, most important environmental restoration programme in Europe”.

The NDA’s role includes cleaning up over 60 years of bad practice and poor storage choices for nuclear waste at 17 locations across the UK. In an R&D report this week, the agency detailed its growing use of technology such as drones, machine learning and 3D imaging technology to help it tackle the challenge.

(Photos leaked from Sellafield in 2014 showed cracked concrete tanks holding radioactive water, seagulls bathing on the water, a mess of discarded items on elevated walkways, and weeds growing around the tanks)

The NDA’s efforts to clean the UK’s nuclear legacy will take over 100 years and cost the taxpayer more than £100 billion. Last year the authority invested approximately £90 million into R&D in a bid to help drive those costs down.

Some of the more difficult parts of the decommissioning lie ahead; such as the removal of nuclear waste from open ponds at the controversial Sellafield site, as the NDA’s notes in its Draft Business Plan for 2020 to 2023: “After years of painstaking preparations on the 60-year-old facilities and complex engineering solutions, work will begin in 2020 to retrieve waste from the 2 silos and bulk sludge from the site’s 2 ponds.”

The UK currently has 15 operational nuclear facilities that generate roughly 21 percent of the country’s electricity. However, nearly half of these plants are expected to be retired by the year 2025, creating more work for the NDA.

The R&D report, published this week, particularly drone use on sites, as the technology, as carrying capacity and battery life continue to improve.

Due to drones’ versatile nature, the NDA has deployed them across its sites in order to complete tasks such as the inspection of tall chimneys, pipelines, and roofs. The drones have also been instrumental in collecting high-quality imagery and sensors readings from areas containing radioactivity and have even been used to find previously unknown areas of radioactivity.

“The information has eliminated working at heights and radiation dose to operators. Compared to traditional manual methods, there have been savings in both time and money” the authority said.

An underwater drone and high-tech camera will be lowered into four mine shafts that are within a mile of where authorities think two Craig County teens were held and subsequently killed.

The $2,000 underwater drone and $17,000 underwater camera were displayed during a news conference Tuesday to update the community on the ongoing search for the remains of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman after a two-day meeting of law enforcement officers, investigators, volunteer experts and agency representatives. Authorities planned to use the equipment to search Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 16-year-olds disappeared Dec. 30, 1999. Investigators believe that in the early morning hours Ashley’s parents, Danny and Kathy Freeman, were fatally shot by intruders who then set the family’s mobile home in Welch on fire.

Investigators think the men kidnapped the girls and took them to a mobile home in Picher, where they tied them up and tortured, raped and killed them. Investigators are exploring the possibility that the girls’ bodies were dumped in a mine shaft in Picher.

The four long-abandoned mines to be reexamined are between 90 and 100 years old, investigator Gary Stansill said.

While he encouraged people to keep in mind that “we are not sure the girls are in a mine shaft,” any tip is never too small, he said.

Hydrologist Brian Hicks of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, said the camera to be used is about 10 years old and has been used in coal mines.

“This is the first time it will be used (to look for) remains,” he said.

The camera has the capability to record still and video images in color, Hicks said. It is equipped with a 1,000-foot cable and a power reel that can adjust once inside a mine shaft, he said.

Stansill explained the difference between a camera that was previously lowered into the same four mine shafts and the camera displayed during the press conference.

“We had to manually manipulate the camera,” he said, referring to the first camera drop.

The underwater drone is operated through a joystick, said Jim Martell, a Tulsa police reserve officer and an engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Tulsa District. Martell, a volunteer investigator, personally purchased the drone for use in the investigation.

The drone will be lowered to the bottom of the mine shaft and can navigate into the mine workings, he said.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., reached out to federal agencies in hopes of bringing in additional resources and expertise to help find the girls’ remains, said Jared Ward, a field representative for the senator.

“We called the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and instantly they said they would help,” Ward said.

The theme of “Lauria and Ashley are our girls and we want to bring them home” was echoed by District Attorney Matt Ballard, Ward and multiple agencies across northeastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas, the Cherokee and Quapaw marshal’s offices, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“This should be a blueprint on how government should act,” Ward said.

Investigators believe that Ronnie Busick and two other men, Warren Phillip Welch II and David Pennington, both now deceased, are the people who shot Danny and Kathy Freeman and kidnapped the girls.

Busick was charged in 2018 with murder, kidnapping and arson and awaits trial in the Craig County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

PowerVision has made drones that fly and drones that swim and now, it's got one that flies in the rain. The PowerEgg X, debuting at CES 2020, is considerably smaller than the original PowerEgg that was essentially a large 4.6-pound flying egg with a 4K-resolution camera. The PowerEgg X is still eggish in shape, at least partly, but looks a lot more like a typical quadcopter than its predecessor and seemingly does a lot more, too. 

The company bills it as a three-in-one camera because of its design that can be converted from an autonomous tabletop selfie camera to a drone or handheld camera, and its use of "proprietary AI algorithm and robotics technology capabilities." As a selfie camera, it'll use facial recognition to track subjects and keep them in the middle of the frame. It will also continue to track that subject even if they move in and out of its field of view. 

Those same AI features can be used handheld, and since the 4K-resolution camera is mounted on a three-axis motorized gimbal, the video should look smooth regardless of camera shake. And then there's drone mode, so you can presumably get the equally smooth video from the air. PowerVision includes waterproof accessories -- a case and landing float -- that allow it to fly in heavy rain as well as take off and land on water, which is something I really haven't seen since the failed Lily Camera.   

PowerVision also added an audio sync to its mobile app, so you can record audio using your phone's mic or wireless headphone and combine it with your video. The company said it will get up to 30 minutes of flight and has automatic obstacle avoidance as well. 

The PowerEgg X is available now in the US at BestBuy.com, B&H Photo, Amazon.com and Powervision.me starting at $899.

The consumer and prosumer camera drone market contracted considerably in the past two years with market leader DJI dominating the category. However, in the past year there's been a handful of competitors like Parrot, Skydio, Zero Zero Robotics and now PowerVision offering drones with features and designs unavailable from DJI.  

The Autel Evo 2 has made its way onto the FCC’s test bench with what looks to be some standout features for a drone of its size. Along with the Evo 2, we are expecting to see DJI’s Mavic 3 line of drones to be launched early this year. Let’s take a look at what we know about these two drones and what we would love to see in them.

The next big drones coming out will be the Autel Robotics Evo 2 and DJI Mavic 3 line. These drones will build on the current variations that have blown consumers away in quality and capabilities.

Every year, excitement arises around this time, as it’s CES time where hundreds of companies release tech-related products, and more importantly, drone tech. This year we are hoping to see the Autel Robotics Evo 2 and the DJI Mavic 3 at CES. From information and rumors, we are excited to see these two drones going head to head with amazing specs like an 8K camera to the ADS-B sensor expected to be on the DJI Mavic 3.

We expect the prices of the drones will likely increase due to the improved cameras that will require more power to keep them going. This being said, the Autel Evo 2 will likely start at around $1,200, and the DJI Mavic 3 likely starting at $1,800 to $1,900. These are estimates only.

What we know

Autel Evo 2

• Will be released in January and announced at CES
• An 8K variant capable of 48 MP photos and record video in the following resolutions; 8K @ 25 fps, 6k @ 30 fps, 4K @ 30 & 60 fps with a bitrate of 120 mbps
• An 6K variant capable of 20 MP photos and record video in the following resolutions; 5.5K @ 60 fps, 4K @ 120 fps with a 1-inch sensor and an adjustable aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/11
• A dual-sensor variant with an added infrared sensor along with an 8K sensor
• Flight time of 35 minutes
• Top speed of 44 mph
• 360 degree obstacle avoidance
• A remote controller with an OLED display
• 90-minute charge time
• No geofencing
• Autel Explorer app
• GPS and ATTI modes
• Return to Home
• Accurate landing
• Starpoint Positioning System
• Smart Tracking
• Viewpoint
• Gestures
• Weight of 2 lb 3 oz

DJI Mavic 3

• Will be released early this year, likely in Q1
• Will include an ADS-B receiver for improved safety
• OcuSync 2.0

What we want to see

Autel Evo 2

• Improved companion app
• Improved controller and build quality
• Improved battery and flight time
• Improved and better built gimbal
• USB-C connection

DJI Mavic 3

• The zoom variant to have a 1-inch sensor
• Improved Hasselblad 1-inch sensor, possibly with zoom
• Built-in display in the stock controller, similar to the smart controller
• ActiveTrack 3.0, to compete with the Skydio 2

We are excited for both drones to be released, and they will sure compete with each other, with varying feature sets. Which drone will you be picking up? The Autel Evo 2 with an 8K camera or DJI Mavic 3 with the new ADS-B receiver?

No one in the oil and gas sector needs to be told that the potential for disaster is immense. Relatedly, no one in that industry needs to be told how essential inspections are. What those in the industry may be open to hear, however, is how markedly automated industrial drones can improve those inspections and increase safety for employees as well as the public at large. 

Automated industrial drones are designed with end-to-end automation that allows them to launch and fly on-demand or scheduled missions without needing a pilot and incurring the large expense that accompanies one. These drowns can undertake all data collection, landing, and even routine maintenance like power supply management and sensor and payload changing. There are many oil and gas drone services that have the potential to benefit the industry in significant ways, but there are perhaps no oil and gas drone services more impactful than automated inspections.

Chimney and flare stack inspections with no risk and no shutdowns

The technology that goes into burning off waste gas is simple, but the management of chimneys flare stacks is anything but. A small crack can transform a stack pipe into a blowtorch, one that has the potential to cost human lives, not to mention millions in damages. Flare stacks need to be regularly and rigorously inspected, but doing so has traditionally involved sending human inspectors up scaffolding with cable safety restraints in place. Additionally, this slow and laborious inspection can only take place after part of the plant has been shut down and the stacks have fully cooled. All told, it can take days or even weeks to return to normal operations.

Having an automated industrial drone do the inspections instead can reduce or even eliminate those shutdowns. More importantly, it also keeps workers from being exposed to the serious risks that can accompany them. With an automated industrial drone, flare stack inspections can be easily and quickly accomplished with minimal impact on operations, allowing these inspections to be performed more thoroughly and more often, thereby increasing the overall safety of this major component of oil and gas operations.

Visual inspection of oil and gas storage tanks is also a slow and laborious process that is fraught with the potential for error because areas of tanks susceptible to corrosion and rust often can’t be seen by the human eye. 

Automated industrial drones greatly speed up the process by allowing engineers to perform high-definition inspections without traveling to the site and manoeuvering around these often cumbersomely large assets. Automated industrial drones with multisensory capability can also deliver both digital imagery and thermal imagery, allowing engineers and inspectors to identify issues like solar loading and water accumulation in addition to identifying potential damage or weak points. 

Easy and time-efficient pipeline monitoring

Not only do oil and gas pipelines have all the high-stakes potential for disaster that most oil and gas infrastructure does, but they’re also long-range assets that present a logistical nightmare for firms trying to keep a close eye on the health of their pipelines. Fortunately, automated industrial drones offer the most efficient solution possible for pipeline monitoring.

Automated industrial drones are capable of flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights to inspect long-range infrastructure without allowing for any possibility of human error. They can quickly and cost-effectively inspect pipelines for rust, corrosion and pitting while also using thermal imagery to assess the distribution of natural gas through a pipeline. They can also provide high-definition imagery of pipeline routes to allow inspectors to identify any potential leaks or defects in pipeline insulation that are leading to changes in vegetation. Thermal imagery can also detect hot spots on a pipeline. The advantages these drones offer to pipeline monitoring are simply immense.

Chinese drone manufacturers Walkera have made the move from racing drones to public services and enterprise solutions – but their deep engineering expertise is still at the core of the business.  In China, Walkera claims the lead in the public services sector.  We spoke with Webber For, Walkera’s VP of Marketing, about their hybrid drone solutions for long distance and heavy load applications in firefighting, police, and agriculture – and what Walkera does better than anyone else on the market.

How big is Walkera as a company and what parts of the world do you have a presence?

Webber Fok (WF): “We have nearly 500 employees in China, including technicians, marketing staff, sales staff and customer service staff. We also have our own independent factory. Our business scope spreads all over the world: in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and more. 

What is the problem that Walkera is trying to solve?

WF:  “Walkera has a long history in the field of drones, starting with racing drones and AP drones. In the last few years, we’ve transitioned to focusing on the enterprise market, and it has paid off for us.  Now, we have two main product lines aimed at the enterprise market.

We saw a space in the market for multi-rotor drones that could fly longer and carry a larger load. Electric drones just can’t meet the need, so gas-electric hybrid drones seem to be a good solution. We took this path a little bit earlier than other manufacturers – now, after several iterations, we’re getting customer orders.

Our other main offering is the fire-fighting drone. We collaborated with the government to develop a solution that can really help firefighters  –  it’s much more user-friendly and really improves outcomes.”

You use a hybrid solution for your airframes.  Can you tell us a little about how this works and why  you went this way?

“Our hybrid solution mainly includes a gasoline engine generator with electronic injection and water cooling functions to provide continuous and powerful power for the drone. Since fuel has a much higher energy density than batteries, the key advantages of the hybrid solution are longer flight times and higher loads, which enables multi-rotor drones to be used for many more applications.

In addition, there are many difficulties when you use an electric drone in remote areas: like battery-charging issues or reduced function in  low-temperatures. Those problems don’t occur with hybrid drones. In China, we have released hybrid plant protection drones, which are popular with farmers because they cost much less than electric drones.”

Who uses your products?

“Agriculture, police and fire are our primary markets.”

Tell us how Walkera is different from other players in the firefighting space.

“We were the first player to embed night vision scope, 30 x optical zoom camera in firefighting drones, which is very useful. We have recently launched a cluster fire-fighting solution, which  includes different types of fire-fighting drones.  The drone cluster can work synergistically and spray dry powder on the fire one by one. It’s a really exciting outcome from our latest research.”

“The most interesting application is that our drones can put out fire in tall buildings with windows. One of our product is equipped with a rocket launcher that can shot bullets to break windows and glass curtain walls.”

That’s really interesting.  What challenges do skyscrapers in particular pose for firefighters?

“China is a fast-developing country, with hundreds of cities that have many skyscrapers, which makes the work of firefighters very difficult. The skyscrapers are so high that even the ladder trucks can hardly deal with them. Firefighters have to climb stairs with a heavy load – it takes time, which leads firefighters and trapped residents in danger.

Walkera is really innovating in firefighting drones which can slow down the fire diffusion before the firefighters arrive, and help them make correct decisions. This is where our value lies. There is strong demand not only in China, but also in many developed cities around the world.”

DJI is one of the first drone manufacturers in Australia to become a CASA Drone Safety Advocate. Drone Safety Advocates further improve drone safety and help consumers become familiar with drone companies that stick to the rules. Other companies to join DJI include Zero-X, C.R. Kennedy, EE Group Australia, Fly the Farm, Officeworks, and Rise Above Custom Drone Solutions.

The news shared via a press release from CASA focuses on drone buyers needing to put safety first when buying drones.

CASA Drone Safety Advocate means the drones sold by participating companies must have a new symbol on it with the words “Know Your Drone” and “Safety Advocate” next to the Australian government logo.

Previously, drone companies in Australia included a flyer inside the package with the basic drone laws. Placing the new logo on the outside packaging ensures consumers will be more aware of drone laws and the government’s presence when it comes to drones.

CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said:

Drone safety advocates have pledged to follow a specific set of guidelines when selling drones. The guidelines ensure they are providing consumers with important safety information on when, where, and how they can use their drone safely — and stay within the law.

Gibson says it’s optional to join, but it means there will be improved drone safety education and encouragement to fly safely. Gibson continues:

This is a voluntary joint initiative between CASA, retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. The outcome will be better drone safety education and encouragement for safe and responsible flying from the first time a new drone takes to the skies. Our research indicates consumers expect to be informed about the drone safety rules at the time they purchase their drone. Drones are great fun, and by following the simple rules everyone can enjoy flying safely.