U.S. Operators Using eBees No Longer Require FAA Waivers for Advanced Drone Operations Over People and Moving Vehicles

WICHITA, KS / ACCESSWIRE / October 27, 2022 / AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American:UAVS) ("AgEagle" or the "Company"), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors and software for commercial and government/defense use, today announced that the Company's eBee X series of fixed wing unmanned aircraft systems ("UAS"), including the eBee X, eBee GEO and eBee TAC, are the first and only drones on the market to comply with Category 3 of the Operations of Small Unmanned Aircraft System ("sUAS") Over People rules published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") in March 2021.

Barrett Mooney, Chairman and CEO of AgEagle, stated, "Becoming the first and only UAS approved for OOP in the United States is expected to have material impact on AgEagle's growth and standing as a recognized leader in the industry. It is another important testament of our commitment to providing best-in-class solutions to our commercial partners, and we are confident that this will serve as a key driver in the growth of eBee utilization in the United States. We believe it will further improve the business applications made possible by our drone platform for a wide range of commercial enterprises which stand to benefit from adoption of drones in their businesses - particularly those in industries such as insurance for assessment of storm damage, telecommunications for network coverage mapping and energy for powerline and pipeline inspections, just to name a few."

Securing a Part 107 certificate of waiver from the FAA is a long, arduous and costly process for sUAS users. Now that the eBee has proven compliant with Category 3 of the rules, eBee drone operators no longer require an FAA waiver for OOP or Operations Over Moving Vehicles. This major milestone has been achieved by AgEagle following months of work, historic reliability review and extensive testing conducted by Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership ("MAAP") based on the Means of Compliance MAAP has developed, and which is accepted as proof of compliance by the FAA.

"Having an aircraft approved to operate over people will fundamentally change the way drone operations can be planned and conducted in the U.S.," said Tombo Jones, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. "When the FAA published the rule, it identified a clear-cut pathway to a goal that all of us in drone integration have been working towards for a long time; this approval demonstrates that pathway is viable. Our testing reflects years of expertise that we've built in evaluating the risk of drone operations, and we're proud that it could play a role in making this milestone possible."

This compliance demonstrates yet again that eBees are the drone of choice to conduct advanced operations involving flying Beyond Visual Line of Sight ("BVLOS") or Operations Over People ("OOP"). The eBee is currently approved for use by the U.S. Department Of Defense pursuant to the Blue sUAS 2.0 program; for BVLOS operations in Brazil; and OOP and BVLOS operations in Canada. It is also the first drone to receive European Union Aviation Safety Agency ("EASA") C2 certification and a Design Verification essential for this kind of operations from EASA.

About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's current expectations include those risks and uncertainties relating to our competitive position, the industry environment, potential growth opportunities, and the effects of regulation and events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars, or health epidemics. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.

AgEagle Aerial Systems Contacts:

Media:
Email: media@ageagle.com

Investor Relations:
Gateway Investor Relations
Matt Glover or Cody Cree
Phone: 949-574-3860
Email: UAVS@gatewayIR.com

SOURCE: AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc.