19 April 2024

By Michael Molenda, Editor, The Droning Company

There has been a lot of angst and controversy of late regarding DJI drones and their potential impact on the drone industry and American security.

If you need/want a little refresher on the raised voices and concern, please check out our previous articles on the matter:

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/opinion-the-argument-against-banning-chinese-drones

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/background-and-lobbying-efforts-against-dji

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/what-dji-has-done-to-elevate-the-droning-community

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/chinese-drone-ban-suppose-the-fearmongers-are-right-

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/innovation-not-legislation-

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/my-thoughts-on-chinese-drone-bans

https://thedroningcompany.com/blog/opinion-the-spying-problem

Up to speed?

Well, wherever you land on the DJI debacle, a Texas company,  Anzu Robotics, is offering a DJI alternative with its Raptor and Raptor T drones.

But DJI isn't completely out of the equation here ...

The Raptors were developed via a licensing agreement with DJI—albeit in a way that may calm a few freakouts regarding the cybersecurity concerns prompted by DJI's Chinese origin.

Based on the DJI Mavic 3, the Raptor offers a 20MP wide-angle camera (with 56x hybrid zoom) that captures 12MP images. The Raptor T is upgraded with 48MP and 12MP cameras (also with 56x hybrod zoom) that deliver a 640×512 high-resolution LWIR thermal imaging payload. Both models can stay aloft for 45 minutes and have a nine-mile range.

As for pricing — Well, DJI still wins.

These enterprise drones are expensive—the Raptor lists at $5,100 and the Raptor T goes for $7,600. The DJI Mavic Pro 3 is sold for $2,199. 

However, the takeaway here is that the Raptors are less expensive than comparable enterprise drones manufactured in the United States, such as the Skydio X2 ($10,999-$14,499) and BRINC Lemur 2 (approx. $8,999).

If Not a "Lower than DJI Price," What DO You Get?

• Anzu is allowed to adopt DJI hardware specs and innovations, so if a company is considering abandoning DJI, its pilots should have an easy transition from DJI products to the Anzu Raptor series.

• The software in the Raptors is completely developed in the United States via a partnership with Aloft Technologies—a company that already works with the FAA, and whose Aloft Aire Control app complies with FAA regulations surrounding the National Airspace System.

• All Raptor drone data is locally stored on the drone's SD card—there is zero chance of data transmission being hijacked during flight. Furthermore, the all flight data is secured by AES-256 encryption.

• You don't have to worry about a future ban on DJI drones.

• Take note: All of that said, the Raptors are not truly "made in America." Final assembly is done, and most components are crafted in Malaysia. Then, the drones are shipped to Anzu's Austin, Texas facility for firmware installation and quality control tests.

What the Partners Say...

“These platforms meet the highest standards of quality, reliability, and innovation,” says Randall Warnas, CEO of Anzu Robotics. “With our strategic manufacturing and software development partnerships and commitment to security, transparency, and performance, we are confident that our drones will meet the diverse needs of public safety agencies and industries across the country.”

“Powered by Aloft’s cutting-edge software and hosted on our secure, domestic servers, we ensure that every flight captured, every piece of data collected, and every decision made is underpinned by the highest standards of data protection and privacy,” says Aloft Technologies founder and CEO Jon Hegranes.

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