Commercial UAV Expo 2017: Drones are rocking the mining industry

27th October 2017 - 12:00 GMT | by Scott Gourley in Las Vegas

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The mining sector was one of the industries credited with rapidly evolving industrial drone applications at this week’s Commercial UAV Expo.

As part of a session focused on the broader topic of mining and aggregates, expo attendees were able to learn about selected drone application experiences as shared by representatives from both Barrick Goldstrike and Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper.

Andrew Carey, chief UAV controller for Rio Tinto Kennecott, said that the company only started operating drones in the past year and now has 27 pilots flying a UAV fleet that includes the DJI Phantom 4 Pro.

‘Within a year

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Author

Scott Gourley

Scott Gourley is a US-based writer on defence and security issues. A former US Army …

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