Drone Systems Keep Moving Off the Shelves As Planners Learn Painful Lessons Abroad

AgEagle Aerial Systems will ship 40 of its eBee VISION systems, along with 9 more eBees, with all the parts, support, connections, control stations, and miscellany required to keep the fleet operational in French army service.

The sale underscores the subtle boom in drone sales to military entities the world over, a trend that continues to form with every blurry - and horrifying - drone video published from the frontlines in Ukraine. Drone tech is here to stay, and despite the somewhat hodgepodge approach to tactical doctrine, the smart buyers are picking up the kit while they can and figuring out the fine print later. 

The eBee Vision is a sensible choice for the French army, offering a fixed-wing, single-engine camera platform with 32x zoom, HD video capture, and thermal imaging as standard fitment. Add in semiautonomous operations, scanning, and targeting and it makes sense that the platform can be a strong force multiplier when used as a small, mobile scouting unit. Performance-wise, the eBee family sports a general 12-mile range and 90 minutes of flight time as standard, though the specifics can vary a bit between the VISION, Tac, and X models. The eBee series generally shares a few nice little design elements, too, like a silent radio mission mode with log file suppression, encryption, and radio silence. Couple that with a propulsory that is acoustically "undetectable" at 1,000 feet AGL, and just as difficult to spot with the eye, and it seems like an obvious choice for spotters in the trenches.

"We believe this contract award further validates our strategy of defense growth, and the tailoring of our systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions," said Bill Irby, AgEagle's Chief Executive Officer "Further, this award leverages our years of working arm-in-arm with our customers and strengthens our position as a leading provider of high-quality, rapidly deployable unmanned vehicle products servicing both military and non-military markets. We're very proud to be aligned with the French Army."

"We believe this strategic partnership is highly beneficial for both parties and broadcasts that AgEagle is a formidable long-term player in this space," said Mark DiSiena, AgEagle's Chief Financial Officer. "Financially, the size and gravity of the deal not only provides a tremendous boost to our Company's revenue stream, but demonstrates our ability to secure and fulfill larger deals should they avail themselves."

FMI: www.ageagle.com