Ryse Recon (drone for farmers)

2024: Start of Sales

In June 2024, the American company Ryse Aero Technologies began selling a "flying ATV" for farmers - an electric device called Recon. This aircraft can be used, in particular, for flying fields and monitoring agricultural areas.

Recon is a single-seat aircraft of the eVTOL type - with vertical take-off and landing. It features six independent screws, each powered by its own removable battery pack. The machine weighs approximately 130 kg: according to US standards, it is classified as an ultralight aircraft. Such aviation equipment is prohibited from flying over populated areas and carrying heavy cargo. At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration does not stipulate the number of required training hours, and therefore everyone can move on such devices.

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The maximum speed that Recon develops reaches 100 km/h. On a single charge, the aircraft can cover a distance of about 30 km, and the flight time is approximately 25 minutes. The declared service life of the machine, depending on the operating conditions, varies from 8 to 10 years.

The cost of a "flying ATV" for farmers as of the start of sales is about $150 thousand. Ryse Aero Technologies CEO Mick Kowitz notes that this is a relatively small amount when it comes to agricultural machinery. For example, the price of one tractor can exceed $500 thousand, while in a farm there can be several of them. According to the developers, using Recon instead of traditional ground equipment will help reduce soil compaction, which is important in the sowing season.^[1]

2022: Drone announcement

On May 16, 2022, Ryse Aero Technologies announced the launch of Ryse Recon, its first vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electric platform. Possible areas of application of the aircraft are land management, search for missing livestock and soil research. Depending on the purpose, the aircraft may have different configurations - perhaps a fixed-wing model will be proposed for faster and more efficient forward flight.

The company says the final version of the device will weigh less than 300 pounds (136kg), have a range of up to 25 miles (40km), a top speed of 63mph (101km/h) and the ability to take off and land on both land and water. It will also use six independent powerplants, each of which will in turn be powered by a removable battery pack - meaning operators will be able to quickly swap discharged batteries for freshly charged spare ones, as needed.

Drone released that farmers can fly, spray fertilizer and inspect cattle

The Recon is designed to be easy to mass-produce, inexpensive to maintain and easy to fly, Ryse said. The latter will be possible thanks to the use of artificial intelligence flight algorithms, as well as simplified control systems. Ryse Recon is scheduled to begin delivery to customers from January 2023.

{{quote 'Ryse Aero Technologies Director of Regulatory Affairs and Aeronautics Eric Stefansen said: The key difference of Recon is its ability for an operator without extensive training to control the device in any area, whether it is finding a lost calf or helping a lost boatman. Our battery packs are specially designed to work like in electric lawnmowers from the store, they are removable and rechargeable, so you can always have spare kits. }} The company claims the RECON design was designed in line with RYSE's mission to make flights accessible to all.

The patented removable battery and vehicle control systems were designed so that they could be controlled by a person with minimal training, using advanced artificial intelligence and a simple control system. Thanks to its modular design, RECON can be configured in various ways, and its future configurations will offer options with a fixed wing and design variations while maintaining standardized flight controls.^[2]

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