About the project
SkyHawq is an autonomous fixed-wing drone supporting conservation efforts. The aircraft operates fully autonomously, following GPS-based routes while collecting high-quality data including photos, video, audio and environmental measurements. Built from durable materials, it can fly for up to 1.5 hours and is engineered for reliable field use in remote ecosystems.
Origin story
The concept emerged in 2016 during a year marked by refugee crises, Indonesian fires, and wildlife poaching concerns. Existing drone solutions were costly, fragile, or overly complex for field organizations.
A two-day hackathon with eight engineers produced a functional autonomous prototype. After connecting with Greenpeace, the team recognized significant demand for affordable aerial monitoring tools and developed SkyHawq into a practical solution enabling conservation teams to detect threats earlier and respond faster.
SkyHawq was Hack The Planet’s first project — and many of the lessons we learned in the Indonesian rainforest about ruggedization, off-grid power and intermittent connectivity continue to shape every product we’ve built since.
