Drones Made in the U.S.: TerraView’s Range Pro X8P (Pixhawk)

Drones made in the U.S. are a growing sector – and CA-based TerraView has announced a second commercial drone offering, now with system components and options that meet government and Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines.

The RangePro X8P – Pixhawk is a follow-up model to last year’s RangePro X8.  “Like its predecessor, the RangePro X8P is an enterprise unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to fly an industry leading extended flight time in real-world conditions with a standard sensor payload,” says TerraView.  The RangePro X8P is one of a new range of drones made in the U.S. and designed “specifically for industrial, first responder, and government enterprise data capture. “

Recent discussions in the U.S. government, including some versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, have proposed a ban on Chinese-made drone technology.  Bruce Myers, president of TerraView, is committed to being part of the U.S. drone manufacturing industry, helping to meet the needs of customers in the U.S. and around the world. “We have been working with suppliers in the U.S. and other U.S. partner countries to provide best-in-class technical solutions and components that allow us to manufacture one of the highest-performing commercial drones in the market today,” says Myers. “We are pleased to announce that the RangePro X8P has been approved by multiple Federal agencies, and is available for immediate purchase via GSA schedule.  The RangePro X8P is NDAA 848 compliant, and is currently being flown by multiple Federal Agencies, as well as our enterprise clients, for a variety of missions.”

The RangePro X8, launched last year, gained immediate traction with customers looking for advanced functionality in drones made in the U.S.  Designed for use by federal agencies and enterprise customers, the RangePro is a wind- an weather-resistant, long-endurance aircraft: equipped with sophisticated sensors, that meets the strictest requirements of manufacturing.  “As a follow-up to the RangePro X8 that we launched last year, the RangePro X8P still employs the same airframe and military-grade technologies that provide for its extended flight time but now with a  US made flight control system (FCS) and other non-Chinese system components and data capture options,” said Myers. “The new model includes a ground control station (GCS) option with encrypted radio/data, US made FLIR, non-Chinese RGB and mapping camera options at this time. The RangePro X8P ensures the competitive advantages of extended flight time with the reassurance of complete safety and security of valuable data.”   

The RangePro Pixhawk can be customized to work in industries such as energy, agriculture, construction, first responders, mining, and government.  Flight endurance is one of the RangePro Pixhawk’s differentiators: “Its highly efficient design coupled with higher power density  batteries result in flight times that are on average two and a half times longer than the competition, allowing users to accomplish more work with fewer batteries and less time spent on battery swaps and maintenance,” says Terraview.  Each battery can support over 500 charging cycles, giving customers significant value.  The RangePro Pixhawk’s data capture capabilities make it ideal for industrial inspections, terrain mapping and modeling, and structural integrity surveys.  Add weather resistance – see the video below – and the RangePro Pixhawk is a formidable competitor in the field of drones made in the U.S.