Microavia’s drones, the first UAE-produced ones, are now exploring critical minerals in Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Its advanced purpose-built aerial surveying platform, Fortis, provides unique information about the area’s geological structure, making the process of geophysical surveys faster and more efficient than ever before.
Microavia is the first UAE-based drone company to localize the entire manufacturing cycle in Dubai. The company was established in Dubai in 2022 and delivers drone-based solutions for security, monitoring, mining, and surveying.
Microavia’s geophysical exploration projects in Central Asia started over a year ago. Previously, helicopters and big teams of researchers, geologists, and geophysicists conducted the same geophysical surveys. Dubai-made drones can run automated surveying missions, reducing the need for manpower and keeping humans safe in extreme weather conditions. Also, it reduces the time of tasks by half and drastically cuts costs.
Dubai-made drones are highly appreciated by international partners in Central Asia.
“We have successfully concluded all preflight tests with Microavia Fortis. A special feature of their geodrone is their ability to stay in the air for up to 60 minutes. The drone can carry up to 12 kg of payload. Joint tests of GEODRONE and AeroSmartMag have shown high efficiency in conducting aeromagnetic surveys due to the stability of the flight direction even in strong winds and long flight time” notes Kirill Bazhin, CEO of Geodevice Kazakhstan.
Microavia also creates payloads such as video and photo cameras and has a team working on AI and computer vision. Drones hover at low altitudes between 40 and 100 m above ground level and scan the ground in 400-meter-wide swaths. That enables UAVs to survey hundreds of miles in days and not weeks or months, which would be the norm for a ground-based exploration effort. These unique technologies enable the conducting of mineral exploration missions in previously inaccessible areas with an acute level of detail.
These results make it possible to continue exploring and searching for minerals across Asia while keeping the costs low. Using electrical UAVs also reduces the CO2 output of such exploration missions, especially compared to helicopters and airplanes.
“Big thanks to Microavia for supplying us with their drones for Terra Exploration. The 45-minute flight time with the magnetometer is quite impressive! Moreover, their team provided us with a beneficial and enjoyable pilot course. I can’t wait to start using these drones in our work” notes Nikita Shaliuto, geophysicist of Terra Exploration.
According to recent reports, minerals such as aluminum, copper, gold, and lithium outputs fall short of anticipated demand. Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan, has a vast unexplored reserve of mineral deposits, and drone-based exploration can speed up their production.
Microavia’s export of highly advanced UAVs also builds upon the overall UAE strategy of expanding its trade beyond the traditional oil, petroleum, and gas products.
About Microavia
Microavia is a leading manufacturer of UAVs and an R&D center for drones with HQ and production facilities located in Dubai, the UAE. Microavia initiated its drone manufacturing operations in Dubai in 2022, with initial shipments going out that same year. The company’s early customers consisted of national parks and geophysical exploration companies. Microavia caters to a diverse range of sectors, primarily focusing on mineral surveying and security monitoring.
Microavia offers two specialized drone lines tailored to meet diverse mission requirements:
- Drone-in-a-box solutions: Ideal for a range of monitoring, surveying, and analytics tasks in 24/7 mode.
- Exploration drones: Capable of carrying up to 12kg, typically used for geophysical sensing and mineral exploration.
Microavia is also developing new models, including heavy-duty drones for law enforcement and border security applications.
