With its 154 lb. payload and intelligent control system, the XAB P150 features advanced rotary atomization spraying technology. | Credit: Rantizo
Rantizo yesterday announced the expansion of its equipment portfolio with the new XAG P150 spray drone. Released by manufacturer XAG in December 2024, the XAG P150 brings the latest spray drone technology to the agriculture industry, it said. The addition to Rantizo’s drone lineup is now available for the 2025 spraying season.
“To meet the growing demand for spray drone services, we strive to provide the best available technology at an affordable price point,” said Eric Ringer, chief field operations officer at Rantizo. “We’re excited to offer the XAG P150 to our spray drone operator network and will also fly them in our own regional hub locations this season.”
Built to help operators cover more ground in less time, the XAG P150 features capabilities to boost spray drone operators’ productivity. It allows operators to spray ground quickly and efficiently at higher gallons-per-acre rates while maintaining higher speeds, according to Rantizo.
With maximum flight speeds of more than 30 mph (48 kph) and an 18.5-gal. (70 L) tank, the XAG P150 is one of the largest and fastest spray drones currently available on the market, the company added.
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Rantizo fights to continue sales of DJI drones
Rantizo is part of a coalition of agriculture-specific drone operators and service providers that formed to lobby against the proposed Countering CCP Drones Act (H.R.6572) that was introduced in 2022 and debated through the end of calendar year 2024. This bill would ban the sale of drones from Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies Co. (DJI) in the U.S.
As of December 2024, despite its initial inclusion in the proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the act was omitted in the final version of the NDAA, allowing DJI to continue its operations in the U.S. without new restrictions. XAG is a China-based drone manufacturer, but it is not included in the Countering CCP Drones Act.
With its AcreConnect software, Rantizo said it connects demand for agricultural spray-drone services to qualified, licensed, and insured operators. Operators in the company’s network and regional spray service hubs provide application services nationwide for a range of crops and related industries. AcreConnect works with a number of different drones and drone manufacturers, bringing drone fleet management under a single application, it said.
“In-field operational excellence is our priority. By understanding the capabilities of this new technology, we strive to help our operator network and regional hubs maximize their spray days,” said Zach Hanner, Agronomy Operations Lead at Rantizo. “Through our testing and research, we’ve found that the XAG P150 offers a great solution to advance precision agriculture efforts and effectiveness in drone spraying.”
Other drone developments
The past week has been a busy one for providers of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). Last week, Shield AI reportedly approached a $5 billion valuation as it raises $200 million, nearly double that of its previous round in 2023. The San Diego-based company develops software for defense drones.
Shield AI has also established an office in Kyiv to train Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces with V-BAT, the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS for electronic warfare environments (see video below).
Last week, Volatus Aerospace partnered with heavy drone developer Draganfly Inc. as a value-added reseller of precision data acquisition for the oil and gas industry. Today, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Draganfly announced that it has obtained a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver to fly drones over human beings and moving vehicles, starting in a prescribed route over Boston.
“This achievement allows us to deploy drones for critical applications in urban environments, including public safety, infrastructure inspection, and specialized mission support,” said Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly.
ZenaTech Inc. last week acquired Weddle Survey Inc., an Oregon land survey engineering company that will be the basis of its Northwest U.S. drone-as-a-service (DaaS) operations. Today, ZenaTech acquired Pensacola, Fla.-based KJM Land Surveying LLC to establish a Southeast base for its DaaS business.
The land surveying equipment market could reach $12.56 billion by 2028, according to DroneXI. Vancouver, B.C.-based ZenaTech said the combined company plans to develop drones for applications in addition to land surveying, such as watching and managing wildfires. It has submitted its multipurpose drone for FAA Part 137 crop sprayer certification.
ParaZero Technologies Inc. last week received approval from the Israeli Defense Export Controls Agency to market its HALO (high-altitude, low-opening) Precision Airdrop System for delivering military supplies to challenging environments. The company had successfully tested the system for delivering supplies such as blood units.
ParaZero has launched its SafeAir Raptor, a safety system designed to work with Anzu Robotics’ Raptor and Raptor T (thermal) drone models. It provides autonomous monitoring and real-time failure detection.
In addition, Foresight Autonomous Holdings Inc. said it will integrate its 3D perception systems with drones from a leading Indian defense manufacturer with $16 million in revenue potential. The Ness Ziona, Israel-based company also delivered production systems to SUNWAY-AI in China and said its Eye-Net Mobile Ltd. subsidiary has passed UTAC field tests under the European New Car Assessment Programme.
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