Pyka develops autonomous electric aircraft for crop spraying

Pyka, a startup based near San Francisco, is developing autonomous, cockpit-free fixed-wing aircraft designed for crop spraying and cargo delivery. These electric aircraft can fly lower to the ground than manned planes, which reduces spray drift and minimizes the amount of chemicals required for agricultural tasks.

Currently, approximately a dozen Pyka aircraft are operating in Brazil to spray crops such as soybeans and cotton. While much of the autonomous aviation industry focuses on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxis, Pyka aims to eventually scale its technology for passenger transport, potentially reaching widespread passenger operations before the eVTOL sector.

The demonstration aircraft used for testing is fully electric, featuring a battery in the nose, a flight time of approximately 35 minutes, and a spray tank capacity of up to 300 liters.