Volocopter and John Deere presented an agricultural VoloDrone demonstrator at Germany’s AGRITECHNICA trade fair in November 2019. It combined Volocopter’s electric heavy-lift aircraft with a crop sprayer; the announcement described planned testing, not a confirmed commercial launch.
What did Volocopter and John Deere announce?
Volocopter’s November 7, 2019 announcement said the companies had presented a large agricultural drone demonstrator at AGRITECHNICA. The project paired Volocopter’s unmanned aircraft platform with John Deere’s agricultural expertise and a crop-protection payload. Volocopter’s announcement described a demonstrator, rather than a product confirmed for sale.
How big was the VoloDrone, and what could it carry?
Volocopter reported that the electric aircraft had 18 rotors and an overall diameter of 9.2 metres. The company gave a potential payload of up to 200 kilograms and a flight time of up to 30 minutes per charge. These are specifications reported by Volocopter in 2019, not independently verified measurements in the cited material. Volocopter’s release and John Deere’s 2019 announcement describe the aircraft.
How was the crop sprayer configured?
The demonstrator carried two tanks, a pump and a spray bar, attached through the VoloDrone’s flexible payload system. The announcement presented this arrangement as a crop-protection setup; it did not provide tank capacity, application rates or independently measured field results.
#1 Best Overall
- Payload Capacity: 8 Gallons / 67 lbs
- Spray Efficiency: 30 – 38 Acres per hour
- Spray Width: 26 – 33 Feet
- Max Take-off Weight: 155 lbs
- Flight Speed: 0 – 27 mph
How much field could it cover?
Volocopter stated that the drone could cover up to 6 hectares per hour, attributing the claimed rate to its ability to fly at low altitude. This was a company-stated performance figure in 2019, not a verified outcome from completed field trials in the cited sources.
Was the agricultural drone tested or put on sale?
At the time of the announcement, Volocopter said the demonstrator was ready for its first field flight and that flight and application tests were planned for the following growing season. That statement records an intention; it does not establish that those tests took place. The cited announcements also do not confirm a commercial launch or current availability.
Rank #2
- Rapid Turnaround: Emptying a fully loaded tank takes between 7 to 13 minutes depending on flow settings.
- Ultra-Fast Charging: The 7,000W power system charges the massive 30,000mAh battery from low to full in just 18 minutes, keeping field down-time to an absolute minimum.
- Precision Control: Dual flowmeters and an integrated weighing modular system ensure exact chemical or seed distribution without waste.
- Nozzle Setup: Outfitted with 2 advanced, clog-resistant centrifugal nozzles for uniform atomization and excellent canopy penetration.
- Autonomous flight mission
What agricultural jobs was it meant to do?
The companies identified crop protection, seed sowing, frost control and work over difficult terrain as potential uses. These were proposed applications, not confirmed deployments. The available announcements do not provide comparative results against other spraying methods, so they are not enough to establish that the VoloDrone was faster, cheaper or more effective than alternatives.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- This E616P Heavy-Duty Agricultural Spraying Drone Frame - Payload Multicopter is compatible for Crop & Precision Farming Use.
- Designed as an E616P Heavy-Duty Agricultural Spraying Drone Frame - Payload Multicopter, it fits perfectly for Crop & Precision Farming Use.
- This E616P Heavy-Duty Agricultural Spraying Drone Frame - Payload Multicopter serves as a practical component for Crop & Precision Farming Use.
- It is an E616P Heavy-Duty Agricultural Spraying Drone Frame - Payload Multicopter specifically compatible for Crop & Precision Farming Use.
- The E616P Heavy-Duty Agricultural Spraying Drone Frame - Payload Multicopter is designed to match Crop & Precision Farming Use as practical parts.
Rank #4
- Model Compatibility: Designed as a part for farming-related spraying drone kits with brushless ESC and integrated water pump functionality.
- Capacity Specification: Matches 5L or 8L tank volume requirements for consistent liquid payload delivery during crop protection operations.
- Nozzle Configuration: Compatible with Y-type nozzle setup used in the spraying drone for uniform spray distribution.
- Functional Integration: Restores full of the water pump and brushless ESC when installed per configuration.
- Application Scope: Intended exclusively for crop protection spraying tasks on farming-related drones requiring the stated specifications and components.
Rank #3
- High-Spec Heavy-Duty Propulsion: Equipped with 8318 120KV high-torque motors and 12S industrial ESCs, paired with 32-inch folding propellers for superior stability under 10L loads.
- Reinforced 40mm Structural Architecture: Features 40mm oversized arms and aviation-grade aluminum center plates, with heavy-duty folding kits and LED-integrated motor mounts for maximum rigidity.
- Integrated Fluid Payload System: Includes a 10L container, 6S brushless pump, and 4 nozzles installed under the motors, leveraging rotor downwash to optimize fluid penetration and distribution.
- Integrated Power Management : Features a Power Distribution Board (PDB) and balanced plate, simplifying complex wiring and ensuring stable current transmission under load.
- Modular Industrial Deployment: Complete kit covers airframe, propulsion, and fluid distribution; supports rapid 40mm arm folding for significantly reduced transport volume and efficient field setup.
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