Transforming SkyProwler 2 drone is part copter, part plane
The fixed wing’s the thing
Fixed-wing drones have never really “taken off” (pun fully intended) in the consumer market. It’s not hard to see why – quadcopters are basically idiot-proof, while fixed-wing flight requires more space, more skill and a much bigger set of cojones to pull off – but Krossblade’s SkyProwler 2 (from US$2,999, available to order now) wants to give would-be pilots a best-of-both-worlds-scenario. This carbon fibre flying machine, which can be fitted with a 4K gimbal-stabilised camera, can take off and land vertically thanks to four rotors. Once in the air these can retract, allowing the wings and thruster propellor to slice it through the sky at up to 80mph. In winged mode, it can remain airborne for almost an hour, with a transmission control range of to 10 miles – and it even features an optional cargo bay module that can drop a payload mid-flight.