NBA star guard Luka Doncic may be the highest-flying human in Slovenia. But the SQA multirole eVTOL can fly more than 13,000 feet higher than he can. True, the SQA can’t dunk a basketball, but the small system can conduct what manufacturer C-Astral Aerospace’s brochure calls “the complete spectrum of ISR operations over medium distance” [up to 40 km], as well as dual-use applications from agriculture to military to pipeline monitoring.

Resting on a stand in C-Astral’s booth at the just-concluded C-UAV Expo, the SQA also showed itself to be one of the most handsome drones around. Its blended wing body construction recently won a Red Dot Award, which sales manager Rok Tomazic called “the best of the best for industrial design.

“We’re very proud of that,” he added.

But the SQA isn’t just pretty. It’s 100% autonomous from takeoff to landing, with a completely digital preflight checklist. Aerophotogrammetry, LiDAR and an EO/IR camera, two different data links and swappable gimbals all empower capabilities. So do a 3-hour endurance and 12-kilogram maximum takeoff weight.

Nevertheless, Tomazic said, “I would say that the highlight is definitely ease of use. The system can be assembled in something like five minutes. Our in-house software is really easy to use and maintain.

“We just had clients come to our factory, and they told us the competition has a really complex system. With us, they said, it was, ‘Wow, it’s just a touchscreen; you press, you set waypoints.’ For normal people who are not trained pilots, we have a four-day training. Once you do that, you’re good to go.” 

Three enthusiasts launched C-Astral in 2007. “Really, it was a garage company,” Tomazic said, “and it slowly evolved into the company that it is.” 

Tomazic again eyed the SQA. “I think it’s a beautiful system, and people also buy with their eyes.”