Hybrid VTOL Fixed-Wing UAV
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Brazilian aviation group Helisul Aviação is partnering with Latvian drone and software developer FIXAR to provide customers with valuable long-range, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) aerial services in Brazil.
Beginning in March 2023, Helisul will manage the sale, support, and operation of FIXAR 007 drones in the expanding Brazilian UAV market. The technologically advanced, compact fixed-wing aircraft boasts over 60km of flight capacity to enable extended BVLOS services for enterprise users, particularly those in agriculture, mining, infrastructure inspection activities, and owners of offshore platforms whose missions cover vast areas.
The FIXAR 007 has already demonstrated its endurance and mettle in exacting conditions like high-altitude mountain flights. FIXAR now plans to top that with the FIXAR 025 – a drone with a 10kg payload and a 300kg flight capacity that is expected to come online later in 2023.
Awaiting that, Helisul will provide aerial services with the FIXAR 007. The hybrid fixed-wing VTOL craft can carry a 2kg payload for up to an hour at speeds of 20 m/s, which the company believes is around 30% faster than competing craft.
Its configuration provides the convenience of a quadcopter with the range and efficiency of a fixed-wing drone – a combination that permits fast and easy takeoffs and landings on any terrain without needing parachutes, catapults, or other accessories, and prolonged mission distances with greater speed and efficiency.
Drawing on its deep experience and qualifications in Brazilian aviation, Helisul will put FIXAR drones’ performance capabilities to maximum use for enterprise clients.
“As it considered Brazilian partners, FIXAR recognized Helisul’s reputation for safety, quality, and technology in the aviation market,” said head of Helisul’s drone division, Lucas Fontoura. “FIXAR also appreciated our experience and unparalleled ability in obtaining certification of drones used, and authorization to fly missions above 400 feet from the National Civil Aviation Agency.”
As the Helisul-FIXAR tandem solidifies its activities in Brazil, the partners will also examine ways to expand their drone services work to other nations in region.
“Helisul, with its 50-year experience in aviation, offers everything FIXAR needs for expansion in the Latin American region,” said Yulia Druzhnikova, FIXAR’s co-founder and Director of Global Expansion. “We are happy to contribute FIXAR’s VTOL drones, designed for advanced missions in challenging environments, to unleash the full potential of the Latin American drone market, and increase safety and efficiency.”
Its entry into Brazil reflects continued efforts by FIXAR to raise the profile of its drone technology in an increasing number of nations around the world – an objective Helisul will help it attain in the country and wider region.
“With this partnership, Brazil joins the USA, Australia, Japan, Korea, and European and African countries playing home to FIXAR distribution centers,” said Helisul’s executive superintendent Humberto Biesuz. “We are investing heavily in this FIXAR-Helisul partnership in order to deliver the best technology, most advanced drones, and safety to Brazilians in collaboration with the National Civil Aviation Agency.”
