The UK’s leading provider of commercial drones, Coptrz has announced a close partnership with Xer Technologies – the Swiss leading manufacturer of customisable, heavy-duty Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

The partnership will see Leeds-based Coptrz become the exclusive distributor of the Xer X8 UAS in the UK, with its marketing focused mainly on infrastructure inspection, surveillance and search and rescue applications.

The Xer X8 has the ability to fly for 2.5 hours with a 3kg payload and can be used for beyond visible line of sight (BVLOS) operations. It can carry up to 7kg and handle adverse weather and wind.

Gökmen Çetin, international sales manager for Xer, said: “Working alongside Coptrz allows us to get quick access to the UK market through an experienced and competent partner. With Coptrz’ experience and its reputation as a leading provider of commercial drones, they meet the high requirements we put on our collaboration partners. Our collaboration will open up the UK market to Xer X8 and its heavy-duty design, long flight time and long range BVLOS operations.”

Being involved with drones since 2011, Switzerland-based Xer works to create a safer, and more efficient and sustainable world through its heavy duty UAS. The company was an early pioneer in commercial drone flying, enabling its customers to generate actionable data insights.

Paul Luen, CEO and founder of Coptrz, which has grown from 2016 start-up to a £27million turnover business, added: “As part of our 360º drone solution offering, we work hard to build the right partnerships, with the right manufacturers at the right time. The quality of drones offered by Xer is second to none and offer the opportunity for growth across UK and European markets. We are thrilled to be working with the team to capitalise on this growth potential and to further strengthen our reputation as being the UK’s home of the latest drone technology.”