The ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency), issued this Monday (16/09) the project authorization of the Arator 5B drone for operations BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight).
With this approval, the Arator 5B becomes the only drone in the Brazilian market that can fly both BVLOS and above 400ft.
The Arator 5B was already authorized to perform Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) operations with a range of 2km over 400ft (121m) since 2018. Now with this new Design Authorization Data Sheet (DADS) published this week, the XMobots drone is also authorized to fly BVLOS flights with a range of 5km and a flight height of up to 400ft.
“For the technology user, this authorization is interesting because it makes Arator the most flexible mapping tool on the market as it allows the technology-novice pilot to fly below 400ft and BVLOS immediately after purchasing the equipment. And if it is in your best interest to expand your operating capacity, you can invest in your XPilot skills to qualify for flights over 400ft. ”Says Giovani Amianti, CEO of XMobots.
Productivity
BVLOS permits issued by ANAC for drones in force in Brazil limit flights to a maximum height of 400ft. This condition forces operators of different models available to fly with GSD of approximately 3 cm, which for many demands becomes a waste. “Not every application needs such a low pixel. For many users 5, 10, 15 cm GSDs are more than enough. That’s why Arator VLOS approval for flights over 400ft is a differentiator when it comes to productivity, ”explains Amianti.
Issued by ANAC in May 2018, the VLOS authorization for Arator 5B equipment is the only one in Brazil that authorizes drone flights over 400ft. Thus, it allows for flights without this height limitation with a radius of 2Km without an observer or a radius of 5Km with an observer. In this 2km scenario, with a 10cm pixel, the operator can map 800 hectares per flight at a height of 410 meters (see table below).
Understand the differences
| Model | ANAC authorized flight height | ANAC authorized communication range |
| Arator 5B BVLOS | Above 121m | 2km without observer 5km with 1 observer |
| Arator 5B BVLOS | Up to 121m | 5km without observer |
| Other authorized drones | Up to 121m | 5km without observer |
Compare productivity
| Model | Acre / flight with 3 cm GSD | Acre / flight with 5 cm GSD | Acre / flight with 10 cm GSD |
| Other authorized drones | 400 acre | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Arator 5B BVLOS | 400 acre | 640 acre | 800 acre |