Guardian Agriculture's crop dusting drones have officially taken flight following federal approval from the Biden administration earlier this year.
The startup last week said that four of its aviation-grade eVTOL aircraft, known as the SC1, will help manage crops in California's Salinas Valley, known as the "Salad Bowl of the World."
The move marks the next step on the company’s journey to scale production of its drone sprayers for the $65 billion global agriculture industry.
"This is a watershed moment for sustainable farming and a giant leap forward for eVTOL technology," Guardian Founder and CEO Adam Bercu said in a statement. "While several companies are developing eVTOL technologies, we are now the only one that has both secured FAA approval to operate commercially nationwide, and that's actually started flying missions on behalf of paying customers."
Founded in 2017, the startup raised more than $20 million in funding this year and has appointed leaders with backgrounds from the likes of Uber, Apple and Tesla to scale operations.
In March, the company received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to operate its aircraft across the country. Guardian said this move made it the first commercially authorized eVTOL of any kind in the U.S.
Compared to traditional crop dusters or ground-based equipment, Guardian said its equipment sprays crops “more efficiently, sustainably and safely.”
The company already has more than $100 million orders for its SC1 drone, which can spray up to 60 acres per hour, carry a payload of 200 pounds and has a combined tank fill and supercharge time of less than one minute.
