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Robot maker · registered

Pyka

Corporate marketagriculturedeliveryCurated record
flypyka.com

Fully autonomous fixed-wing electric aircraft; LiDAR and RADAR sensor suite for day-and-night terrain-following navigation and obstacle avoidance; proprietary autonomy stack for waypoint following, autonomous take-off and landing on 450 ft strips, dynamic droplet-size adjustment to minimise chemical drift; 100% automotive-grade components in Gen-2 platform; no onboard pilot required; FAA-authorized for commercial UAS operation in the US.

HeadquartersAlameda, US
Founded2017
Corporate funding$88M
Team51-200
Deployments10
Open roles13
01

Company overview

Identity and operating footprint

Company typeRobot maker
Market segmentCorporate
StageSeries B
FoundersMichael Norcia (Co-founder & CEO), Kyle Moore (Co-founder, Software Fellow), Chuma Ogunwole (Co-founder & COO), Nathan White (Co-founder, Head of Flight Operations)
Regions servedNorth America, South America, Central America
Countries deployedUS, BR
Service footprintHQ Alameda CA; Pelican Spray and Pelican 2 in commercial crop-protection operations in US, Brazil, and Central America; 60-aircraft firm order from Synerjet; DropShip defense platform first flight April 2026 and US Army Reserve CSTX evaluation June 2026;
Last reviewed2026-07-05
MX

Robot models

Specifications remain vendor-claimed

Machinedelivery

DropShip

  • 1,400 lb maximum takeoff weight (MTOW); Group 3+ UAS classification

    Vendor-stated aircraft MTOW and US DoD UAS group classification

    Claim source
  • 550 lb payload capacity; 3,500+ mile ferry range

    Vendor-stated maximum payload and maximum ferry range

    Claim source
  • All-electric quiet mode: ~45 minutes; flight-ready from standard 20-ft shipping container in under 1 hour; single-operator via mobile tablet

    Vendor-stated all-electric endurance, containerized deployment time, and operator requirement

    Claim source
  • Precision airdrop within 150 ft of target; hybrid propulsion (internal combustion + electric); modular open-architecture secondary mission computer

    Vendor-stated airdrop accuracy, propulsion system, and mission flexibility

    Claim source
Machineagriculture

Pelican 2

  • 300-litre spray payload

    Vendor-stated chemical tank capacity

    Claim source
  • 105 hectares/hour at 10 L/ha (72 ha/h at 20 L/ha) with 5 hot-swappable battery sets

    Vendor-stated peak field coverage rate

    Claim source
  • 18-metre swath width

    Vendor-stated spray coverage width

    Claim source
  • FAA commercial operation authorization; largest FAA-approved UAS for agricultural use

    US FAA authorization for commercial crop-protection UAS operations

    Claim source
Machineagriculture

Pelican Spray

  • 281 kg (620 lb / 74 gal) spray payload

    Vendor-stated chemical/payload capacity for first-generation Pelican crop-protection aircraft

    Claim source
  • 160 acres/hour at 20 L/ha

    Vendor-stated field coverage rate for first-generation Pelican aircraft

    Claim source
DP

Deployment log

Announced and cited only

AnnouncedCustomerSiteCountryCountEvidence
2026-06-30US Army Reserve (Operation Sentinel Justice CSTX)military logistics exercise, autonomous airdrop and CASEVAC demonstrationUS1Announcement
2025-08-01Synerjetaviation services / authorized distributor, 60-aircraft firm order for BrazilBR60Announcement
2025-02-11FAA-authorized commercial operations — United States (Pelican 2)agricultural crop-spraying UASUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Sierra Nevada Companydefense logisticsUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Heinen Brothers Agra ServicesagricultureUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Skyports Drone ServicescargoGBNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23DoleagricultureUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23EmbraercargoBRNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23SLC Agrícolalarge-scale agricultural crop-protection operationsBRNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-01-01AFWERX / US Air Force (Agility Prime)defense cargoUS3Announcement
CA

Funding history

Publicly announced rounds

Investors on recordObvious VenturesPiva CapitalPrelude VenturesiNovia CapitalMarch CapitalBam VenturesMetaplanet HoldingsNorthside VenturesY Combinator
HR

Hiring signal

Public job board · 2026-07-13

Open roles13

Hiring is an operating signal, not deployment evidence. Roles are refreshed from the company’s public careers system.

Electrical EngineerElectrical Engineering · Alameda HQElectrical Engineering Intern - Fall 2026Electrical Engineering · Alameda HQFlight Support Engineer (Brazil)Flight Operations · BrazilFlight Support Engineer - Night Shift (Brazil)Flight Operations · BrazilSenior Fleet Maintenance TechnicianFlight Operations · Alameda HQElectro-Mechanical Assembly TechnicianManufacturing · Alameda HQAssociate Mechanical Design Engineer (Pelican)Mechanical Design Engineering · Alameda HQMechanical Design Engineer (II) (Pelican)Mechanical Design Engineering · Alameda HQ
TL

Company timeline

Milestones and announcements

2026-06-30DropShip executes autonomous airdrop resupply and CASEVAC missions at US Army Reserve CSTX (Operation Sentinel Justice) at Camp Shelby, Mississippi: 20-mile autonomous flight, 200 lb precision airdropPR Newswire
2026-04-27DropShip completes successful first autonomous flight at Alameda CA base: six months from concept to flightPR Newswire
2025-10-13Announced DropShip defense UAS platform: 1,400 lb MTOW, 550 lb payload, 3,500+ mile range, hybrid propulsion, concept-to-flight in 6 monthsPyka
2025-02-11Pelican 2 unveiled at World Ag Expo as world's largest autonomous crop-protection aircraft; FAA commercial authorization obtainedPyka
2024-09-23$40M Series B led by Obvious Ventures; investors include Piva Capital, Prelude Ventures, Metaplanet Holdings, and Y CombinatorPR Newswire
2023-07-01FAA commercial operation authorization granted for Pelican Spray: first-ever for a highly automated large electric UAS in the USPyka
2017-06-01Founded February 2017; accepted into Y Combinator Summer 2017 batchY Combinator
SC

Source ledger

15 unique public sources

01
Pyka Secures $40M Series B to Advance Commercialization of Dual-use Autonomous Electric AircraftPR Newswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
02
Pyka Closes $37M in Series A Funding to Accelerate Aircraft Deliveries and R&DPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
03
Pyka and its autonomous, electric crop-spraying drone land $11M seed roundTechCrunch · retrieved 2026-07-05
04
Pyka Expands into Defense Sector with DropShip UAS PlatformPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
05
Pyka's Autonomous DropShip Completes First FlightPR Newswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
06
Pyka Unveils Pelican 2: The World's Largest Autonomous Crop Protection AircraftPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
07
Pyka Secures FAA Authorization for Commercial Operation of Largest Ever Highly-Automated Electric Drone in the United StatesPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
08
Pyka's Pelican Spray drone makes its U.S. debutFuture Farming · retrieved 2026-07-05
09
Pyka Executes Autonomous Airdrop Resupply and Casualty Evacuation Missions at US Army Reserve CSTX ExercisePR Newswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
10
Pyka Secures Firm Order from Synerjet for 60 Autonomous Crop Protection AircraftPR Newswire · retrieved 2026-07-05
11
Pyka's Pelican Spray: Largest Uncrewed Aircraft to Receive FAA Authorization for Commercial FlightsCommercial UAV News · retrieved 2026-07-05
12
Pyka Secures $40M Series BPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
13
Pyka Delivers First of Three Large-scale Autonomous Electric Cargo Aircraft to AFWERXPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
14
· retrieved 2026-07-05
15
Pyka: Autonomous electric airplanesY Combinator · retrieved 2026-07-05