Volatus to Acquire Empire Drones, Expand in U.S. Market

Volatus Aerospace Acquires Empire Drone Company LLC.

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Volatus is on a major growth and acquisition run.  This week,  Volatus Aerospace announced its signing of an arm’s length definitive agreement to acquire unmanned aerial systems company Empire Drone.

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With the commercial drone market projected by Fortune Business Insights to reach $47.38 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 28.58%, Volatus’s acquisition of Empire Drone in the US positions it to capitalize on the market’s growth through its increasing global presence in the green drone technologies space, including EOLO Drones S.A.C. joint venture Volatus Aerospace LATAM in South America, Omniview Tech in Canada, and the recently acquired iRed Remote Sensing in the UK.

“Volatus is already a major distributor and developer of civil and defence drone solutions in Canada,” said Volatus CEO Glen Lynch. “The addition of Empire Drone solidifies our footprint in America and positions us for improved margins and accelerated growth in America with a US depot and US-based support.”

With the acquisition scheduled to close on December 31st, Empire Drone is anticipated to create C$2.5M worth of revenue in 2022 with a 6% EBITDA margin. The agreement will see Volatus purchase the entire company for US$300,000, equity of US$350,000 with a minimum floor price of $0.65, and earn out of US$350,000 in equity following one year anniversary based on the 30-day volume weighted average price (VWAP) with a minimum floor price of $0.65 per share and assume the long-term debt of US$225,000.

“Joining Volatus provides Empire with the resources needed to accelerate our growth,” said Empire CEO and founder Sean Falconer. “We’ll become a more important partner for our existing OEM suppliers and increase our offering with Volatus technologies such as the Aerieport remote nesting station, Hydra Crawler, and other Volatus defence and public safety products. It’s long been my goal to be a dominant player in the United States and this deal will give me the resources needed to get there.”

Read more:

• Volatus Aerospace Acquires Synergy Aviation, iRed Remote Sensing
• BVLOS Flight, No Visual Observers: Volatus and FlightOps Receive Cert in Canada
• Volatus Aerospace and Iris Automation Partner on BVLOS Flight Solutions
• BVLOS Flight in Canada: Volatus Granted SFOC to Fly Across the Country

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.