Ascent and AgEagle Forge High-Tech Alliance to Revolutionize Farm Drones

A New Era of Precision Agriculture Takes Flight

The drone industry just got a power-up. At AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025, Ascent AeroSystems and AgEagle unveiled a partnership to integrate AgEagle’s RedEdge-P™ multispectral camera with Ascent’s Spirit™ UAV—a first for coaxial drone platforms. This fusion promises to supercharge agricultural data collection, delivering sharper insights for farmers battling tight margins and climate volatility.

“This isn’t just about sticking a camera on a drone,” says AgEagle CEO Bill Irby. “It’s about merging best-in-class hardware to turn fields into data goldmines.”

The collaboration targets a critical gap: reliable, high-resolution crop analytics. While multispectral sensors aren’t new, pairing them with Ascent’s rugged Spirit UAV—a workhorse designed for harsh environments—could redefine scalability. Ascent President Peter Fuchs notes the Spirit’s modularity was key: “Farmers need adaptable tools. The RedEdge-P snaps onto our platform like a Lego piece, no engineering PhD required.”

Modularity Meets Mission Control

Both companies bet big on flexibility. The Spirit UAV supports payload swaps in minutes, while the RedEdge-P’s five-band spectral imaging adjusts to tasks like nitrogen tracking or disease detection. For vineyards monitoring canopy health or soybeans battling rust, this combo could slash scouting time by 70%, AgEagle claims.

“U.S. drone tech doesn’t just compete—it leads,” Fuchs emphasizes. “When specialists like us team up, we outmaneuver offshore cookie-cutter solutions.”

The deal also highlights shifting industry dynamics. Ascent, a Robinson Helicopter Company subsidiary, brings aerospace rigor from its Massachusetts HQ. AgEagle, with three U.S. Centers of Excellence, contributes farm-specific sensor AI. Together, they’re pitching a full stack: hardware, analytics, and actionable reports—no third-party software needed.

For growers, the math is simple. Faster flights, sharper data, fewer spray misses. But the real win? Proving homegrown innovation can still dominate in a sector crowded with overseas clones. As one insider quipped, “This isn’t a partnership—it’s a precision strike.”