AgEagle’s eBee Drones Receive EASA’s C6 Certificate for BVLOS Flights in the European Union

Rhea-AI Summary

AgEagle announces that their eBee X Series drones have received the C6 class identification label in accordance with EU regulations, making them the only professional drones in the market with both C6 and C2 markings. This certification grants access to restricted areas and operational modes without the need for formal permissions or waivers. The eBee X Series drones are high-performance fixed-wing mapping drones that are autonomous, portable, safe, and easy to use. They can map up to 500 ha and fly for up to 90 minutes. This development provides distinct advantages to operators throughout Europe.

AgEagle Sells the Only Drones with Both C6 and C2 Markings

WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American: UAVS) (“AgEagle” or the “Company”), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors and software for commercial and government use, today announced that the eBee X^™, eBee TAC^™ Public Safety, eBee^™ Ag and eBee^™ Geo drones (“eBee X Series”) have been designated with the C6 class identification label in accordance with the European Union (“EU”) regulations.

As of January 1, 2024, drone operators of C6-labeled eBees will be able to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (“BVLOS”) operations with airspace observers over a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated environment throughout Europe. Operators simply need to submit a required declaration with their applicable National Aviation Authority indicating whether they intend to fly missions in accordance with the European Standard Scenario- (“STS”) 01 or STS-02.

With this new certification, the eBee X Series become the only professional drones in the market with both C6 and C2 markings, providing distinct advantages to operators throughout Europe.

Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, noted, “The inclusion of the C6 marking alongside our C2-labeled eBee drones will significantly enhance the market advantages for our European customers. It grants access to areas and operational modes restricted to drones weighing over 4 kg, all without the requirement for formal permissions or regulatory waivers. Currently, only eBee drones possess both the C2 and C6 marking, affirming their status as the safest choice for flying over people and conducting BVLOS operations.”

To achieve the C6 classification, eBees underwent rigorous testing and evaluation by the notified body NavCert GmbH to confirm their compliance with specific EU criteria.

Marcel Visser, Managing Director of NavCert GmbH, stated, “Congratulations to AgEagle on achieving the C6 marking for the eBee X series drones. We are honored to have been the Notified Body (NB 2603) responsible for assessing the fixed-wing drones for the C mark. Our extensive experience and our contribution to the development of the EN 4709 standard have been invaluable in conducting the technical assessments mandated by the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems. We remain dedicated to upholding the requisite standards of quality and safety for drone operations within the European Union."

In addition, beyond the scope of C2 and C6 markings, the eBee X Series achieved another milestone in June 2022 by becoming the industry's first drones to receive a Design Verification Report (DVR) from EASA on M2 Ground Risk Mitigation. This pertains to the European "Specific Category" and allows for Operations Over People (OOP) and BVLOS flights under conditions not covered by EASA's standard scenario STS-02. The DVR facilitates European drone operators in seeking approvals from their respective National Aviation Authorities.

The eBee X Series are high-performance fixed-wing mapping drones, autonomous, portable, safe, ultra-light (weighing under 2 kg / 4.4 lbs), and easy to use. eBees can map up to 500 ha / 1,235 ac and flight up to 90 minutes while maintaining a GSD down to 1.5 cm / 0.6 in. Explore eBee drones here: https://ageagle.com/solutions/drones/.

About NavCert GmbH
NavCert is the first laboratory ever accredited in Europe in the field of GNSS, since 2018 even with a flexible scope. The firm provides worldwide technical services, like expert opinion, verification, validation, and voluntary certification services in the areas of precise positioning/localization, navigation, velocity and timing. Furthermore NavCert is accredited as certification body for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) and is notified (NB 2603) by the German Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics for the EU Type Examination of fixed-wing, copter and multicopter UAS in classes C0 to C4 in the Open Category and C5 to C6 in the Specific Category according to the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 incl. underlying standards. NavCert chairs the coordination group of notified bodies for UAS. These activities are complemented by GAP analysis of specification and documentation and pre-testing. For additional information, please visit NavCert website at www.navcert.de.

About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com. 

AgEagle Aerial Systems Contacts: 
Investor Relations Email: UAVS@ageagle.com
Media Email: media@ageagle.com