U.S. Drone Manufacturer Inspired Flight Designs DJI M600 Alternative

U.S. drone manufacturer Inspired Flight has introduced a made in the U.S.A. alternative to the DJI M600, appropriate for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) missions: the IF1200.  The IF1200 Hexacopter is a brand new, federally compliant heavy-lift drone.

“Supporting payloads up to 8kg lift capacity and with flight times up to 40 minutes, the IF1200 pushes accuracy and consistency to the next level,” says a company press release.  “An open-system architecture provides flexibility for the integration of proprietary payloads, while ready-to-fly integrations for Lidar, EO/IR, and optical imaging systems are readily available.”

Drones are increasingly viewed as critical tools in national security.  U.S. legislators have repeatedly expressed concern about drones manufactured in “listed countries,” including China.  Legislators have discussed several bills proposing that federal funding may not be used to purchase drones manufactured in China, or containing parts manufactured in China.  These concerns have opened a window of opportunity for new drone manufacturers. U.S. drone manufacturer Inspired Flight has stepped up to fill the needs of federal agencies and large enterprises requiring aircraft that meet new requirements.

Inspired Flight CEO Marc Stollmeyer says, “We see a large opportunity to capitalize on the absence of quality US drone manufacturing. Having originally designed this vehicle for National Security missions, the IF1200 will give drone operators an extremely high level of confidence in our platform. Most importantly, the IF1200 doesn’t just offer a US alternative to legacy solutions, it will outperform those solutions in reliability and capability.”

Beyond being U.S. manufactured, the IF1200 meets and exceeds functional requirements.  IF1200 is a rugged and reliable commercial drone, in compliance with NDAA Section 848 and using no Chinese electronics. Various GCS options allow for encrypted data transmission and long-range operation, depending on the use case; an adaptable universal payload interface facilitates custom configurations for a wide range of industries: from utility inspections to geospatial surveys to public safety applications.  Easily tailored to any set of requirements, the IF1200 is ready for both federal and enterprise use.

“Serving the US commercial drone industry has always been our main goal. With the IF1200, we’re certain that this UAV will help elevate the US drone industry,” says Stollmeyer.