AeroVironment and Draganfly Announce Teaming Agreement for Distribution of Quantix Mapper to Commercial Markets


SIMI VALLEY, Calif. and RALEIGH, N.C., March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and Draganfly (CSE: DFLY) (OTCQB: DFLYF) (FSE: 3U8), an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial unmanned aerial systems (“UAS”), remotely piloted aircraft systems (“RPAS”), and unmanned vehicle sectors, today announced a teaming agreement for Draganfly’s distribution of AeroVironment’s Quantix Mapper systems to commercial markets worldwide. The agreement also includes the continuation of other contract engineering services provided by Draganfly to AeroVironment.

Under the teaming agreement, AeroVironment will provide Draganfly sales, marketing collateral, and product technical support for the Quantix Mapper system. Draganfly will provide e-commerce, enterprise and direct sales operations, and oversee development of a network of resellers and strategic distribution partners worldwide.

In advance of the approaching agriculture season in the Northern Hemisphere, Draganfly has procured a significant number of Quantix Mapper systems from AeroVironment. Draganfly plans to expand commercial distribution of Quantix Mapper to the Southern Hemisphere over the next year, and to other industries including environmental resource management, oil & gas, construction, insurance, and public safety.

“Quantix Mapper represents the combination of drone operation, high-resolution imaging and geo-tagging into the first ‘drone as an app’ solution that makes data collection as easy as using a tablet computer,” said Rick Pedigo, AeroVironment vice president of sales and business development. “As a leader in the commercial and first responder drone market, Draganfly is uniquely positioned to deliver the value of Quantix Mapper to customers in multiple market segments to help save lives, protect property, increase productivity and enhance safety.”

“Draganfly has been manufacturing and distributing innovative, multi-rotor and fixed wing drones for commercial applications around the world for 22 years. We were truly impressed with the ease of use, performance, and reliability of AeroVironment’s hybrid Quantix Mapper system” said Patrick Imbasciani, Draganfly’s chief operating officer. “Flying 400 acres in less than 45 minutes on one battery is remarkable. Programming flights by simply drawing a shape on a tablet screen map, selecting an altitude, and following a few prompts, is so easy. Built in visual and multispectral sensors and the ability to take off and land almost anywhere, allow this drone to be used for a variety of applications right out of the box. Equally exciting, is the competitive price.”

Quantix Mapper is a simple to use drone empowering users through its fully-automated operation and instant insight. Its hybrid design allows the aircraft to launch vertically and transition to horizontal flight, maximizing aerodynamic efficiency and range. Users can immediately view high resolution imagery on the included Operating Tablet – no other devices, internet or additional software required. With the touch of a button, users can quickly and safely generate up-to-date maps for infield assessment. Whether assessing crop health during key stages, or damage from storm, flood or fire, Quantix Mapper makes it easy to gather accurate images across a large area, assess and react to the situation with precision and speed.

For more information and to order Quantix Mapper, please visit: www.draganfly.com/quantix

About AeroVironment, Inc.
AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) provides customers with more actionable intelligence so they can proceed with certainty. Based in California, AeroVironment is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems and tactical missile systems, and serves defense, government and commercial customers. For more information visit www.avinc.com.

About Draganfly
Draganfly Inc. (CSE: DFLY; OTCQB: DFLYF; FSE: 3U8) is the creator of cutting-edge, autonomous systems and software that revolutionize the way people do business. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for 22 years, Draganfly is an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial UAS and RPAS space, serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections and mapping and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money and lives.

For more information on Draganfly, please visit www.draganfly.com. For additional investor information visit https://www.thecse.com/en/listings/technology/draganfly-inc, https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/DFLYF/overview or https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/aktie/draganfly-inc.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new products or integrate new technology with current products; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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AeroVironment Media Contact
Mark Boyer
email: mark@boyersyndicate.com

Draganfly Media Contact
Arian Hopkins
email: arian@businessinstincts.com

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