R44 Sprayhawk Unmanned Spray Helicopter with RPX

Rotor Technologies is a Nashua, New Hampshire company led by CEO Hector Xu that develops unmanned aircraft and autonomy technology. It specializes in heavy-lift unmanned helicopters for agricultural and utility work, converting proven Robinson R44 airframes rather than designing small multirotors.

Its RPX flight system flies a helicopter from power-on to shutdown with no pilot onboard, combining a triplex fly-by-wire flight computer, a perception computer with cameras, long-range and 360-degree lidar and a radar altimeter, and links over 900 MHz radio, dual 5G modems and Starlink. Operators control the aircraft from a ground station with a panoramic glass cockpit. The R44 Sprayhawk is the RPX-equipped agricultural sprayer, with a capacity of about 100 to 110 gallons and coverage of more than 200 acres per hour, offered through Robinson Helicopter's dealer network.

• Full-flight autonomy: RPX flies the aircraft from power-on to shutdown with no pilot onboard.
• Triplex fly-by-wire: redundant flight computers and electromechanical actuators.
• Perception suite: cameras, long-range forward lidar, 360-degree collision lidar and radar altimeter.
• Resilient links: 900 MHz radio, dual 5G modems and Starlink Mini connectivity.
• Safety functions: envelope protection, ADS-B in/out, wire-strike warning and autonomous return-to-home.
• Ground control station: panoramic glass cockpit with stick-and-rudder controls.

• Sugar and cassava plantation groups spraying very large contiguous areas where multirotor drones lack capacity.
• Aerial application companies converting existing R44 helicopters to unmanned operation.
• Forestry and utility operators using the Airtruck variant for heavy-lift cargo and right-of-way work.

• Helicopter-scale productivity of more than 200 acres per hour with over 100 gallons of spray capacity.
• Removes the pilot from low-altitude spraying, one of the riskiest flying jobs.
• Can be offered as a retrofit kit for existing R44 helicopters, reusing a large installed fleet.
• Backed by Robinson's dealer and service network for maintenance and parts.

Large-scale agriculture in Brazil and elsewhere still depends on manned aerial application, which suffers from pilot shortages and accidents. Small spray drones cannot match helicopter productivity on thousands of hectares, creating demand for heavy-lift unmanned aircraft; as plantation sectors in Southeast Asia scale up, similar needs could emerge for sugar cane and plantation crops.

Founded in 2021 and based in Nashua, New Hampshire; CEO Hector Xu. Brazil's ANAC became the first regulator to allow commercial Sprayhawk operations in February 2025, with Robinson Helicopter's network as the sales channel. RPX is built to ASTM F3298-24, F3657-23, F2909-19 and RTCA DO-160G standards; the R44 Airtruck heavy-lift variant targets offshore and government cargo missions.