French drone manufacturer Delair-Tech announced a partnership with German company microdrones at this week’s Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas. Delair-Tech is a leader in commercial fixed wing drones, and the partnership with microdrones, a developer of industrial-grade multicopters, creates a significant new presence in commercial drones.
The partnership will combine the R & D strengths of both companies, allowing Delair-Tech and microdrones to collaborate on “the second generation of commercial UAVs.”
Delair-Tech’s traditional strengths include long endurance BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drones, in addition to aerial data processing and analysis. Delair-Tech recently acquired Gatewing, formerly a Trimble company, with deep expertise in drone photogrammetry. Microdrones design strength is in the development and manufacture of “industrial grade” multicopters.
“Delair-Tech and microdrones will propose an extensive range of products, including rotary and fixed wing vehicles,” says the company statement. “The objective is to create a professional line of UAVs, from a single provider, that can fulfill all commercial UAV needs across a wide range of industries. Both companies will administer the selling of these new drones through their combined distribution networks.” The current roadmap includes plans for the development of intelligent grouping of payloads and sensors; a common ground control station (software and hardware) that will be able to control the entire range of products; and the implementation of BVLOS capabilities to multirotor drones.
Delair-Tech is already a favorite of drone investors – interest in the company in the first quarter helped make France the number one country for drone investment. This new partnership is an additional step forward. The combination of skills – and the stated focus on collaborating on commercial drones that are efficient, reliable, and economical – could establish the partnership as the major player in the commercial space.
“On the heels of our Gatewing acquisition, Delair-Tech is proud to establish this strong collaborative with microdrones that will serve clients’ needs with a complete range of UAVs. With this partnership, Delair-Tech defines its direction for the future: to offer complete solutions that perfectly meet the needs of specific industries like energy, transport, agriculture, construction, and security,” said Michael de Lagarde, co-founder and CEO of Delair-Tech.
“This partnership is an exciting first step. By combining our production, research, and development efforts we will be able to deliver the highest quality solutions and services to the end customer,” said Sven Juerss, CEO of microdrones.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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