What wind can NDEGE-12 fly in?

Certified for sustained 8 m/s with usable swath-level accuracy. Above that, ground station auto-holds the mission.

Is it legal to fly autonomously?

Pilot operations run inside registered visual line-of-sight corridors with civil aviation co-ordination per country. Regulatory work is part of every pilot.

What chemicals can it carry?

Any agriculture-grade liquid: pesticide, fungicide, foliar fertiliser, biopesticide. The tank is chemically inert and rinseable.

Is the 5 hectare coverage figure realistic?

Per flight, yes. Total daily coverage scales with battery swap count and mission planning.

Can it be repaired in the field?

Yes. Avionics modules are socketed, propellers and nozzles are user-serviceable, and the spare kit ships with the drone.

How long does it take to train an operator?

Most operators run a supervised mission within 2 hours. WhatsApp scheduling needs no training at all.

Who owns the spray data?

The farmer or cooperative. Mission logs export via WhatsApp on request.

UNIT 03 · NDEGE-CLASS · HEAVY-LIFT AGRICULTURAL SPRAY DRONE

NDEGE-12

from Swahili ndege, the bird.

A single heavy-lift hexacopter built for targeted pesticide and fertilizer application across smallholder African farms.

PILOT PRODUCTION

Download Spec Sheet (PDF)Request a Pilot

NDEGE-12 heavy-lift agricultural spray drone in flight

AT A GLANCE

AIRCRAFT TYPE

Heavy-lift hexacopter

PAYLOAD

10 L spray tank

COVERAGE

Up to 5 ha / flight

FLIGHT TIME

22 min per battery

SPRAY PATTERN

4-nozzle fan · 2.5 m swath

NAVIGATION

GPS-RTK autonomous

WEATHER

IP54 · 8 m/s wind

GROUND STATION

Solar auto-dispatch

01 / ANATOMY OF THE MACHINE

Every part accounted for.

Carbon-Fibre Frame

Six radial arms, lightweight and high-stiffness.

Heavy-Lift Rotors

Six brushless DC motors with drift-tuned propellers.

Central Avionics Body

GPS, IMU, flight controller, telemetry radio.

10L Spray Tank

Modular reservoir for agrochemicals, water or biopesticides.

Fan-Pattern Nozzles

Four precision micro-spray nozzles with controlled droplet size.

Downward Vision & LiDAR

Terrain following at 2–3 m altitude.

Quick-Swap Battery

Hot-swap LiPo for continuous operation cycles.

NDEGE-12 Wordmark

Visible from front and side angles.

02 / HOW IT WORKS

Component by component.

The Carbon-Fibre Frame

Six radial arms machined from unidirectional carbon. Optimised for stiffness-to-weight under heavy payload. Survives hard landings on uneven African farmland without delamination.

SPECS

MaterialUD carbon fibre
Arms6
Dry weight8.2 kg
FoldedYes

The Motor + Propeller System

Six brushless DC motors driving 24-inch propellers tuned for low spray drift. Each motor is independently fused, so a single rotor loss does not down the aircraft.

SPECS

Motors6 brushless DC
Propellers24 in, drift-tuned
RedundancySingle-rotor tolerant
ESCsIndividually fused

The Spray System

A 10L modular tank feeds four fan-pattern micro-nozzles. Droplet size is software-selectable to match the chemical and the crop, minimising drift and protecting non-target plants.

SPECS

Tank10 L modular
Nozzles4 fan pattern
Swath2.5 m
DropletSoftware-selectable

The Vision + LiDAR Navigation

Downward-facing camera and LiDAR enable terrain following at 2–3m altitude across uneven smallholder plots. Drone holds altitude over terraces, contour lines and gulleys without operator input.

SPECS

Altitude2 – 3 m AGL
Terrain followYes
SensorsCamera + LiDAR
Update rate20 Hz

The GPS-RTK Flight Planning

Pre-computed flight paths uploaded from the cloud match the registered field boundary. RTK positioning keeps swath overlap tight, eliminating skip and double-spray.

SPECS

Accuracy±2 cm RTK
Boundary sourceCloud catalogue
OverlapAuto-optimised
Skip / doubleEliminated

The Battery System

Hot-swap LiPo pack delivers 22 minutes of loaded flight. Ground station holds three packs on rotating charge so the drone returns to a fresh pack in under 90 seconds.

SPECS

ChemistryLiPo
Flight time22 min loaded
Swap<90 s
Packs / station3 rotating

The Ground Station

Solar-charged, weatherproof and auto-dispatching. Reads scheduled missions from WhatsApp, prepares the drone, monitors flight and re-tasks on weather window.

SPECS

PowerSolar + grid optional
Footprint1.2 × 1.2 m
Comms4G + WhatsApp
Auto-dispatchWeather-aware

The Weather and IP Rating

IP54 sealing protects avionics and motors against rain, dust and chemical mist. Certified for sustained 8 m/s winds with usable accuracy at the swath level.

SPECS

IngressIP54
Wind8 m/s sustained
Operating temp0 – 45 °C
Mist toleranceYes

The Repair-First Electronics

Every avionics module is socketed and field-replaceable. Spare flight controllers, GPS modules and ESCs ship in a Pelican-style case alongside the drone.

SPECS

ModulesSocketed
Spare kitIncluded
DiagnosticUSB-C
FirmwareOTA + manual

The Telemetry & WhatsApp Control

Mission status, battery state, wind reading and coverage map all stream back via WhatsApp. The farmer never needs to touch a desktop or a controller.

SPECS

TransportWhatsApp + SMS
Languages5
Live mapYes
AlertsWeather + battery

03 / A DAY IN THE FIELD

From command to report.

STEP 01

Schedule

Farmer schedules a spray mission via WhatsApp.

STEP 02

Prepare

Ground station auto-charges and prepares the drone.

STEP 03

Upload

Drone uploads field boundary and flight path from cloud.

STEP 04

Launch

Drone takes off, follows terrain at 2–3 m altitude.

STEP 05

Spray

Fan nozzles deliver precision micro-spray across the target area.

STEP 06

Return

Drone returns to station autonomously for battery swap or shutdown.

STEP 07

Report

WhatsApp report: litres dispensed, hectares covered, map of coverage.

04 / SPARE PARTS CATALOG

Designed to be repaired.

Designed to be repaired with hand tools and locally available parts. Every machine is engineered for repairability.

ND12-SP-001

Propeller

24-inch drift-tuned propeller.

USERIN STOCK

ND12-SP-002

Motor

Single brushless DC motor.

USER7 DAYS

ND12-SP-003

ESC

Electronic speed controller, fused.

USER7 DAYS

ND12-SP-004

Flight controller

Replacement FC board.

WORKSHOP14 DAYS

ND12-SP-005

GPS module

RTK-capable GPS unit.

USER14 DAYS

ND12-SP-006

Vision camera

Downward navigation camera.

USER14 DAYS

ND12-SP-007

LiDAR module

Terrain-following LiDAR.

WORKSHOP21 DAYS

ND12-SP-008

Spray nozzle

Fan-pattern micro nozzle.

USERIN STOCK

ND12-SP-009

Spray tank

10L modular reservoir.

USERIN STOCK

ND12-SP-010

Battery pack

Hot-swap LiPo pack.

USERIN STOCK

ND12-SP-011

Charger unit

Ground-station fast charger.

WORKSHOP21 DAYS

ND12-SP-012

Fastener kit

Standard metric set.

USERIN STOCK

05 / TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The full sheet.

TypeHeavy-lift hexacopter
FrameUnidirectional carbon fibre
Dry weight8.2 kg
FoldedYes, transport case included

Motors6 × brushless DC
Propellers24 in, drift-tuned
RedundancySingle-rotor loss tolerant

Tank10 L modular
Nozzles4 × fan-pattern
Swath2.5 m
Droplet sizeSoftware-selectable
Coverage / flightUp to 5 ha

PositioningGPS-RTK, ±2 cm
Terrain followCamera + LiDAR, 2–3 m AGL
Update rate20 Hz

BatteryHot-swap LiPo
Flight time22 min loaded
Swap time<90 s
Ground stationSolar-charged, 3-pack rotation

InterfaceWhatsApp + SMS
Languages5
Comms4G + telemetry radio

IngressIP54
Wind tolerance8 m/s sustained
Operating temp0 – 45 °C

GeofencePlot boundary
RTLOn signal loss, low battery, high wind
LoggingPer-mission, exportable

06 / ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES

What guided this machine.

01One rotor lost is not the mission lost.
02Spray is only useful where it lands. Drift is failure.
03The pilot is the farmer, the controller is WhatsApp.
04Every avionics module is socketed and replaceable.
05Weather decides launch. Software decides everything else.

07 / FAQ

Questions we get asked.

08 / ENGAGEMENT

Ready to put one in the field?

FOR COOPERATIVES

MAVUNO-7

NEXT MACHINE

PALILI-MICRO

NDEGE-12

Every part accounted for.

Component by component.

The Carbon-Fibre Frame

The Motor + Propeller System

The Spray System

The Vision + LiDAR Navigation

The GPS-RTK Flight Planning

The Battery System

The Ground Station

The Weather and IP Rating

The Repair-First Electronics

The Telemetry & WhatsApp Control

From command to report.

Designed to be repaired.

The full sheet.

What guided this machine.

Questions we get asked.

Ready to put one in the field?

Request a Pilot

Schedule a Briefing

Contact Office