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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
Deployments11
Open roles20
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
2024-09-23EmbraercargoBRNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Sierra Nevada Companydefense logisticsUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23DoleagricultureUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Skyports Drone ServicescargoGBNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23SLC Agrícolalarge-scale agricultural crop-protection operationsBRNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-09-23Heinen Brothers Agra ServicesagricultureUSNot disclosedAnnouncement
2024-02-13United States Air Force (AFWERX)airfieldUS1Announcement
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 · 2026-10-26

Open roles20

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

Associate Electrical EngineerElectrical Engineering · Alameda HQElectrical Engineering Internship - Winter/Spring 2027 (Early Interest)Electrical Engineering · Alameda HQElectrical Engineer (Multiple Levels)Electrical Engineering · Alameda HQAircraft Maintenance Technician (Brazil)Flight Operations · BrazilDeployed Flight Test EngineerFlight Operations · CaliforniaFlight Demo & Training Specialist (Multiple Levels)Flight Operations · CaliforniaFlight Operations Associate, TemporaryFlight Operations · Alameda HQFlight Operations Specialist (Brazil)Flight Operations · Mato Grosso
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

16 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
05
Pyka's Autonomous DropShip Completes First FlightPR Newswire
06
Pyka Unveils Pelican 2: The World's Largest Autonomous Crop Protection AircraftPyka
07
Pyka Secures FAA Authorization for Commercial Operation of Largest Ever Highly-Automated Electric Drone in the United StatesPyka
08
Pyka's Pelican Spray drone makes its U.S. debutFuture Farming
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 (press release) · retrieved 2026-10-14
14
Pyka Delivers First of Three Large-scale Autonomous Electric Cargo Aircraft to AFWERXPyka · retrieved 2026-07-05
15
16
Pyka: Autonomous electric airplanesY Combinator · retrieved 2026-07-05