Instead of the traditional quadcopter style, Explorer follows aircraft design. The structural change is not just to provide it a different outlook but it also provides it with a major advantage. It can reach a height of roughly about 60,000 ft, now it is a new record for the maximum height a drone can traverse. It’s accessibility is not limited to a certain range around it. AirStrato can be controlled from absolutely any part of the world no matter how distant. It has facilitated control using satellite communication or GSM. It comes at a very affordable price as compared to a features it offers. You can buy it if you shed $140,000 from your pocket.
Since it allows the drone to be handled manually from a far off location, thus it becomes very necessary for it to have a long battery life. It can be up in the air for about 20 hours. It is the longest time span provided by any unmanned vehicle in this price range till now. Since it has to provide such a long battery support you cannot expect it to be small enough to fit in your pocket. It is suitable for any private project or study that might involve the role of a drone. It has an approximate weight of about 230 kg. Yes it is this heavy and not just heavy it is quite big too with a wingspan of 52.5 ft. The entire craft is about 7 meter long and can attain a maximum speed of about 170 km/hr. It also has a payload capacity of about 45 kg.
Pioneer is a cheaper alternative, it is available for $80,000. It is smaller in size than the Explorer and is meant to traverse lower altitudes only, about 26,000 ft. It can also be controlled using satellite but it can be used for a maximum time span of about 12 hours only. It weighs 220 kb and has a wing span of 12 meter. It is of the same length as of the Explorer but its speed is less than that of Explorer. It has maximum speed of 120 km/hr.
