Draganfly Innovations Inc. X6 UAV

By Collections Curator Ruth Bitner
October 2013

Bird’s Eye View

Draganfly Innovations’ remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with interchangeable cameras makes possible a bird’s eye view of the environment. The Draganflyer’s durability, compact size, simplicity of operation and wide variety of applications has made it a commercial success.

Innovation was the driving force and it’s innovation that continues to drive...Draganfly Innovations today. - Zenon Dragan, 2013

The Beginnings

Zenon Dragan’s passion for flying remote-controlled airplanes and his ability to transform hobby to business has made Draganfly Innovations Inc. a worldwide leader in unmanned aerial vehicle technology. Most of the components are manufactured in the company’s Saskatoon shop.

Prestigious Award

The Draganflyer X6 was named winner of Popular Science’s Best of What’s New Award in the Aviation and Space category in 2008, propelling the company to international acclaim. The X6 was the first federally-approved, commercially-produced UAV in North America for the civilian market.

Many Uses

Looking like a mini-helicopter, the X6 is useful for industrial inspection, and real estate and wildlife photography. Police forces are interested in its potential for crime scene and traffic accident investigations, tactical support, emergency site management, and search and rescue.

Life Saver

Draganfly Innovations is especially proud of helping to save a life after a nighttime single vehicle rollover east of Saskatoon in May 2013. Would-be rescuers were unable to find the driver, so they called in the RCMP with an infrared camera-equipped Draganflyer X4-ES. The heat sensitive camera quickly located the driver curled up beside a snowbank.

WDM Acquires X6

Draganfly Innovations recently donated the X6 tested by the Saskatoon Police Service to the Western Development Museum. Accident reconstruction experts had used the X6 to survey the scene of a crashed airplane on a busy Saskatoon street in 2011.

The WDM is pleased to collect this example of Saskatchewan innovation. Thank you to Zenon Dragan and his company for recognizing the importance of preserving this piece of the province’s innovation story.

You might also be interested in:

- More Saskatchewan Innovations

- About the WDM Collection

- How to donate an artifact