For years the agricultural spray-drone market meant DJI Agras or XAG. In 2026 that changed: the FCC added DJI to its Covered List, blocking imports of new DJI models into the US, and the timing pushed American growers toward domestic hardware. The clearest beneficiary is Hylio — a Houston, Texas maker of NDAA- and FAA-compliant spray drones, and the leading US-built option. This guide covers the lineup, what it costs, and the policy backdrop that now shapes the buying decision.
Why US-made suddenly matters for price
Two policy facts reframe the math in 2026:
- The DJI import block. With DJI on the FCC Covered List, new DJI models can no longer be freely imported. Existing owners can keep flying, but buyers of new equipment increasingly need a non-Chinese path.
- Tariff spread. Chinese-made drones have carried a 25% Section 301 tariff plus a Section 122 surcharge (the surcharge set to expire July 24, 2026); US-made drones like Hylio carry 0% import duty. The trade-off is sticker price: US-built heavy-lift ag drones reportedly run a 100–150% premium over comparable DJI models. You pay more up front for supply-chain and regulatory certainty.
The 2026 Hylio lineup
Hylio recently refreshed its portfolio. Current models (with legacy AG-series names in parentheses):
| Model | Tank / payload | Coverage | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| **PHOTON** | No tank (scouting) | 55-min endurance, IP55; RGB/EO-IR/multispectral/lidar | Field mapping & scouting |
| **PEGASUS** (HYL-30) | 2.5 gal | Small–medium acreage | Entry spray drone |
| **ARES** (HYL-150) | 13 gal | Up to 40-ft swath, up to 70 ac/hr @ 2 GPA | Mid-tier workhorse |
| **ATLAS** (HYL-300) | 30 gal / 250 lb | 150+ ac/hr, 8–10 gal/acre | High-acreage flagship |
All are designed, engineered, and manufactured in the US, and Hylio's fleets are swarm-enabled — one pilot can run multiple drones. Hylio has also announced a collaboration with KULR to produce Texas-manufactured battery systems, further localizing the supply chain.
What Hylio actually costs
Here is the honest picture: most US Hylio channels quote-gate their prices. Manufacturer and dealer pages (hyl.io's configurator, Frontier Precision, Little Squirt, Advexure) list drones as "Call for Price" or route you through a build-your-drone configurator. So treat any single number cautiously and confirm on a live quote.
The most concrete public anchor is an authorized Canadian dealer, Precision Crop Tech, whose listed MSRPs (in Canadian dollars) map the lineup's shape:
| Model | CAD MSRP | ≈ USD (at ~0.73) |
|---|---|---|
| AG-210 (10 L) | C$35,300 | ~$26,000 |
| AG-216 (16 L) | C$42,100 | ~$31,000 |
| AG-230 (30 L / 8 gal) | C$61,100 | ~$45,000 |
| AG-272 (68 L) | C$117,100 | ~$86,000 |
US press and dealer reporting puts starting prices in a similar band — PEGASUS reported around $16,000, ARES around $44,000, and ATLAS starting near $60,000, with the AG-272-class heavy-lift "well over $40,000." Read the US figures as reported starting points, not live listings; the currency-converted CAD table above is the firmer reference for relative positioning.
How to choose
- Scouting only / precision mapping: PHOTON. It carries no tank; pair it with a spray model.
- Small to medium acreage, tight budget: PEGASUS. Lowest entry cost, but you will refill often.
- The default workhorse: ARES (13 gal). Best balance of tank size, swath, and price for most row-crop operations — up to ~70 acres/hour.
- High-acreage / custom applicators: ATLAS (30 gal, 150+ ac/hr). Highest throughput, highest cost; the fewer refill/battery cycles per acre can pencil out at scale.
The strategic point in 2026: budget the premium over a DJI Agras as the price of a compliant, tariff-free, US-made platform — then size the tank to your acreage so refill downtime doesn't eat the throughput you paid for.
For how spray drones fit the broader category, see agricultural drones and industrial drones.
Sources
- AgFunderNews — Made in America: FCC decision sparks scramble to localize ag spray-drone production
- High Plains Journal — Blanket foreign drone ban takes industry by surprise
- Hylio — official hardware page (PEGASUS / ARES / ATLAS / PHOTON)
- Frontier Precision — Hylio ARES HYL-150 (specs; Call for Price)
- Precision Crop Tech — Hylio dealer price list (CAD)
*Pricing is quote-gated across most US channels; figures above combine an authorized Canadian dealer's CAD MSRP (converted at ~0.73) with US press-reported starting prices as of mid-2026. Confirm a live quote before purchasing.*
