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Below is our recent interview with Barry Alexander, Founder and CEO at Aquiline Drones Inc:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your organization?
A: Just as the name “Aquiline”- refers to the eagle, a symbol of strength and adaptability and most majestic eye of the sky, so too is our company in its mission to provide superior, comprehensive commercial drone solutions for a variety of industries. We envision a world in which humans and drones live and operate in harmony, utilizing advanced AI technology for real-time control, autonomy, and analytics to reduce costs, maximize ROI, create new business value and save lives.
Aquiline Drones has certainly adhered to this mission in all our activities. In just two short years, we have created the industry’s first drone-dedicated cloud, launched a drone production plant that outputs American-made, original Spartacus-brand drone products, invented a unique, portable drone manufacturing pod, created a robust UAV training academy called Flight to the Future, and formulated a proprietary ‘drone-on-demand’ mobile app, similar to Uber and Lyft which allows for immediate fulfillment of drone services for the public.
Equally important to our company’s accomplishments is our exceptional team of people. Aquiline Drones was founded by seasoned airline pilots, aerospace and software engineers, distinguished Air Force personnel, algorithmic mathematicians and technologists and collectively brings 300+ years of knowledge and experience to the forefront of this burgeoning industry. As such the company is very aviation-centric, having extensive, firsthand knowledge of the entire airspace arena, as well as being intimately familiar with the strict regulatory environment, overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration.
What’s more, we’re one of four drone airline companies in the US that owns an FAA 135 Air Carrier Certificate. Similar companies include Amazon Prime Air, UPS and Google’s Alphabet Wing. After all, drones are miniature aircraft and thus, there exist stringent aerospace-compliant processes for software, hardware manufacturing, and systems integration. With our aviation-rich background, Aquiline Drones continues to forge relationships with federal, state, and private organizations, developing and collaboratively launching revolutionary, new drone applications for all sectors.
Q: Any highlights on your recent announcement?
A: Aquiline Drones’ latest major milestone involves acquiring 50% of Aerialtronics, an end-to-end solutions developer in the Netherlands that uses drones, AI and IoT data to provide real-time insights for a variety of business operations. The $9 million US dollar transaction reflects our continued commitment to becoming a full-scale, global leader in the UAS industry. Aerialtronics is a subsidiary of Drone Volt, a publicly traded French manufacturer of professional civil drones and embedded AI, with which we partnered in October of 2020.
Our new ownership of this highly advanced Dutch company further allows us to access years of cutting-edge research and development in UAS technology to fill our national void with competitively priced, American-made drone products. With the commercial drone sector expected to double to over $42 billion by 2025, we are in a powerful position to deliver total planetary protection with our comprehensive drone ecosystem.
Q: Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: The new acquisition allows us to produce the popular Altura Zenith, an extremely versatile commercial drone, and the Pensar smart camera, a multispectral sensor, complete with artificial intelligence and edge computing capabilities. Our current exclusive manufacturing and distribution licensing agreements with Drone Volt allow for the global production of both products, along with the Hercules 2, a durable, lightweight and compact UAV. We are re-branding both drone models as our own Spartacus MAX and Spartacus Hurricane line of UAVs.
Q: What can we expect from your agency in next 6 months? What are your plans?
A: In just a few months, Aquiline Drones will unveil the nation’s first true “Drone-on-Demand” mobile app accessible through all mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Many businesses, law enforcement agencies, public works departments, and the military are missing out on the invaluable data collection capabilities of drones because they lack the resources for an in-house drone operation. Our innovative app gives individuals and businesses the luxury of ordering both private and commercial drone services right from their fingertips like aerial photography and videography for utility inspections (power lines, wind turbines, bridges, tunnels, railroad tracks, etc.) outdoor events, real estate, safety patrol, search and rescue missions, precision farming and countless other applications. The benefits are immeasurable. A drone could quickly find a missing child or prevent a building collapse.
Come fall, Aquiline Drones will launch America’s first, public drone showroom in which people may purchase and repair all types of drone models and sensors.
Equally important, we will continue our mission in creating millions of jobs for all Americans within this burgeoning, multi-billion-dollar industry through Flight to the Future, an online, FAA-certified, commercial drone pilot training and business ownership program. The 3-month, interactive course covers cloud computing, AI, and other technologies transforming the drone sector and can be accomplished at one’s own pace and timeframe.
On the manufacturing side of the business, Aquiline Drones’ in-house drone production process is targeted to output 1,000 drones monthly, which means hiring a robust team of 50 manufacturing technicians by end of the year. Simultaneously, our proprietary Aquiline Agile Manufacturing Pod (AMP), a portable, high-tech workstation that can be installed in homes, businesses and other settings to address the growing demand for drone services in the country, will become a household name in creating financial freedom for its owner/operators.
Q: What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: One of the most exciting new drone applications that we cannot wait to roll out involves using UAVs for the medical delivery of human organs and tissues. Currently in the U.S., there is a 25% discard rate for unused human organs because they cannot physically get into the hands of the transplant surgeons in time before the window of opportunity expires. When every second counts, drones provide an ideal solution to move an organ quickly, to where it needs to be safely, securely, and medically-sound. This life-saving system will be a game changer for the global healthcare community by giving and preserving life-exactly what we believe and know drones can accomplish.
