Xplorate & SwissDrones Bring Industrial-Scale, Long-Range Uncrewed Inspection to the United States

Partnership Introduces Advanced Long-Range Uncrewed Helicopter Systems for Enhanced Aerial Intelligence

Published: August 7, 2026 | Categories: Press Releases, Global Expansion, BVLOS Operations

San Francisco, Zurich and Perth, Aug. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SwissDrones Operating AG, a developer and manufacturer of long-range uncrewed helicopter systems, and its subsidiary Xplorate Pacific Pty Ltd, a BVLOS aviation and aerial-intelligence operator, today announced the expansion of their integrated aircraft-to-intelligence platform into the United States.

SDO50 with Cargo Box

The companies combine uncrewed aircraft, regulatory and operational experience, industrial sensor integration, and data workflows to support inspection and monitoring of pipelines, powerlines, transportation corridors, and other geographically distributed critical infrastructure.

An Integrated Approach to Long-Range Inspection

Industrial infrastructure operators have sought to supplement crewed aerial patrols with uncrewed systems. Conventional small drones, however, can be constrained by range, endurance, payload, communications, and the need to reposition crews and equipment frequently along long-linear assets.

The SwissDrones-Xplorate platform brings together:

• Long-range, turbine-powered uncrewed helicopter systems.
• Payload capacity for industrial LiDAR, RGB, multispectral, and other mission sensors.
• BVLOS operating approvals, safety cases, and operating experience in multiple jurisdictions.
• Trained flight-operations and maintenance personnel.
• Satellite-enabled command-and-control capabilities where authorized and appropriate for the mission.
• Multi-sensor data processing and infrastructure analytics.

This combination is intended to help operators collect georeferenced sensor data over long-linear infrastructure while supporting engineering, integrity, environmental, and compliance workflows.

"Industrial customers need more than an aircraft," said Larry Berkin, Group CEO. "They need a complete operating capability that combines aircraft performance, regulatory approvals, trained personnel, sensor integration, and data delivery. The SDO 50 provides a platform for those missions today, and the SD120 is being developed to extend the mission set further."

Commercial BVLOS Operations in Queensland

Xplorate Pacific uses the SwissDrones SDO 50 to conduct recurring commercial BVLOS inspection operations along a 550-kilometer pipeline corridor in Queensland, Australia. The program is performed through multiple missions under applicable Australian regulatory authorizations and uses mission-specific sensor configurations to collect georeferenced infrastructure data.

The program demonstrates the practical use of a long-endurance uncrewed helicopter for commercial inspection of geographically distributed infrastructure. The scope, flight profiles, sensor payloads, and operating procedures are determined by customer requirements, environmental conditions, and the terms of the applicable regulatory authorizations.

A Commercially Available Aircraft for Industrial Missions

The SDO 50 is a commercially available, long-endurance uncrewed helicopter designed to carry mission-specific payloads in demanding operating environments. Its vertical-takeoff-and-landing configuration and payload capacity allow it to support missions that may be difficult to perform with conventional small multirotor or fixed-wing drones.

Depending on mission configuration and applicable approvals, potential applications include:

• Pipeline and powerline inspection.
• LiDAR corridor mapping.
• Multispectral environmental monitoring.
• Methane and emissions detection.
• Emergency response and disaster assessment.
• Maritime and coastal surveillance.
• Cargo and logistics missions.
• Public-safety and government operations.

Aircraft range, endurance, payload, and other performance characteristics vary by configuration, payload, fuel reserve, environmental conditions, mission profile, and regulatory requirements.

Broad-Area BVLOS Authorization

Xplorate holds an authorization covering approximately 58,000 square kilometers of the Surat Basin in Queensland. Subject to its terms and conditions, the authorization supports day and night BVLOS operations across defined infrastructure and operating areas, including pipelines, well sites, processing facilities, powerlines, and other remote infrastructure.

The authorization provides a regulatory foundation for recurring missions across a broad operating area. Each operation remains subject to the applicable authorization, operating procedures, risk controls, airspace requirements, and customer-specific conditions.

Satellite-Enabled Operations

The platform can incorporate satellite-enabled command-and-control capabilities for long-linear and remote missions where authorized and appropriate. The communications architecture, operating procedures, and role of the satellite link are determined for each mission and remain subject to applicable regulatory approvals and safety requirements.

The Next Generation: SD120

SwissDrones is developing the SD120, a next-generation uncrewed helicopter intended for demanding industrial, public-safety, and government missions. The aircraft is being designed to provide increased payload, endurance, redundancy, and system assurance, together with multi-sensor payload integration and satellite-enabled operating capabilities.

The SD120 is being engineered to support operations targeting SAIL IV under the European Specific Operations Risk Assessment framework. SAIL IV is an operational-risk classification; it is not, by itself, an aircraft certification. Development objectives remain subject to engineering validation, regulatory review, financing, and commercialization milestones.

"The SD120 builds on the operating experience and engineering foundation developed through the SDO 50," said Lukas Obrist, Chief Technology Officer of SwissDrones. "Our objective is to increase mission capability and system assurance while developing an aircraft and operating system that can support demanding regulatory and customer requirements."

Entering the United States

The U.S. expansion is intended to establish commercial, regulatory, operational, and customer-support capabilities closer to North American energy and utility operators. The United States has extensive pipeline, transmission, generation, transportation, and other geographically distributed infrastructure that may benefit from scalable uncrewed inspection.

SwissDrones and Xplorate plan to apply their international operating experience, existing aircraft capabilities, and accumulated BVLOS safety-case expertise to U.S. programs conducted under applicable Federal Aviation Administration approvals. The expansion comes as the FAA continues its rulemaking process for more routine BVLOS operations, including the proposed Part 108 framework.

"Our objective is to give infrastructure operators a practical way to evaluate and deploy long-range uncrewed inspection under the regulatory pathways available in the United States," Berkin said. "We will approach the market program by program, with safety, regulatory compliance, and customer requirements determining each operating model."

More Than an Aircraft

The SwissDrones-Xplorate offering integrates five mutually reinforcing capabilities:

• Long-range, multi-payload uncrewed aircraft.
• Regulatory approvals and operational safety cases.
• Experienced BVLOS flight operations.
• Multi-sensor inspection and data-management workflows.
• Analytics that transform mission data into information for infrastructure decisions.

Together, these capabilities are intended to provide customers with an integrated pathway from mission planning and regulatory approval through flight operations, sensor-data collection, processing, and delivery.

Investor Support

SwissDrones and Xplorate are supported by an investor group that includes Chevron Technology Ventures, DiamondStream Partners, Longbow Capital, and Ingleside Investors.

Chevron Technology Ventures was launched in 1999 to identify and integrate externally developed technologies and new business solutions from the startup ecosystem with the potential to enhance the way Chevron produces and delivers energy. References to Chevron Technology Ventures and the other investors in this release are for identification only and do not imply endorsement by any investor or its affiliates of the technical, operational, commercial, or forward-looking statements contained in this release.

About Xplorate Pacific Pty Ltd

Xplorate is a BVLOS aviation and aerial-intelligence operator serving energy, utility, and public-sector infrastructure. The company operates SwissDrones aircraft under Australian BVLOS authorizations and combines aviation operations, regulatory approvals, multi-sensor data collection, and infrastructure analytics to support long-range uncrewed missions. Website: www.xplorate.io

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding market expansion, product development, aircraft performance, regulatory pathways, commercialization, financing, and future operations. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to execution, regulatory, technical, market, financing, and other risks. Aircraft range, endurance, payload, and other performance characteristics may vary depending on configuration, environmental conditions, reserve requirements, mission profile, and regulatory approvals. Development objectives and anticipated capabilities have not necessarily been demonstrated in final production configuration. Actual results may differ materially. Nothing in this release constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities.

New Development: SD120 with Gimbal

About SwissDrones Operating AG

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, with manufacturing operations in Buchs, SwissDrones develops and manufactures long-range uncrewed helicopter systems for infrastructure inspection, surveillance, public safety, and other critical missions. Its SDO 50 is commercially available, and the next-generation SD120 is under development. For more information, visit www.swissdrones.com.

Press Inquiries

Media Contact

Jascha Ossig, Head of Operations, SwissDrones Operating AG
Email: info [at] swissdrones.com | Phone: +41 81 785 20 10
https://www.swissdrones.com