SwissDrones Operating AG and its subsidiary Xplorate Pacific Pty Ltd announced the expansion of their combined aircraft-to-intelligence platform into the United States. The initiative introduces a long-range, turbine-powered uncrewed helicopter system, previously deployed for commercial beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) missions in Australia, to the U.S. energy and utility sector.
The core of the hardware offering is the SDO 50, a commercially available long-endurance uncrewed helicopter built in Buchs, Switzerland, capable of carrying industrial sensors including LiDAR, RGB, and multispectral systems. Xplorate Pacific operates the aircraft by integrating hardware with regulatory management, flight personnel, and data-processing workflows. Group CEO Larry Berkin stated that industrial clients require a fully integrated operational capability incorporating aircraft performance, regulatory approvals, staff, and data delivery, noting that the SDO 50 currently fills this role while the next-generation SD120 is under development.
In Australia, Xplorate Pacific conducts recurring commercial BVLOS flights along a 550-kilometer pipeline corridor in Queensland under Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) authorizations. The approvals cover approximately 58,000 square kilometers in the Surat Basin as well as an active grid in the Cooper Basin spanning roughly 560 by 740 kilometers along the South Australia-Queensland border, supporting day and night operations across powerlines, pipelines, and processing sites.
The entry into the U.S. coincides with the Federal Aviation Administration’s work on Part 108 rulemaking, which aims to establish a standardized framework for routine BVLOS operations. As of early July 2026, the proposed rule had reached the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for final review. Operations in the U.S. will proceed under applicable FAA approvals on a program-by-program basis.
Simultaneously, SwissDrones is developing the SD120, a next-generation uncrewed helicopter intended for industrial, public-safety, and government missions with targets for higher payload, endurance, and system redundancy. Chief Technology Officer Lukas Obrist noted that the SD120 leverages the operational experience of the SDO 50 to enhance mission capability and system assurance while adhering to regulatory demands. The platform is engineered to support SAIL IV operations under the European Specific Operations Risk Assessment framework.
