Big Drone Demo Day 2025 Recap: A Front-Row Seat to the Future of Autonomous Agriculture
First look at the DJI T100 in action
This week, Monarch Drone Solutions had the opportunity to host one of our most exciting events yet — Big Drone Demo Day 2025 — bringing together pilots, growers, ag tech partners, and drone enthusiasts to witness two of the largest commercial agricultural drones in the U.S. in action: the EAVision J150 and the DJI T100.
Our goal? To see how these next-generation autonomous spraying and mapping platforms perform side by side in real-world field conditions.
Setting the Stage
The morning kicked off under (thankfully) overcast skies, 55 degree temps and 90% humidity, as our team prepped both aircrafts for flight. The field was divided into test zones designed to evaluate the drones across a range of performance metrics — from spray coverage and precision to flight stability, obstacle detection, and battery efficiency and to be honest, their badassery in general, side by side.
We were joined by local pilots, producers, ag retailers, and technology partners eager to see how these machines could reshape daily operations for the coming season. It is one thing to see a video or photos of these drones, but it is a whole different experience getting to feel the breeze as these drones take off and land in person. We are so grateful to everyone who made today another successful and informative demo day.
The FIVE Test Flights
Each flight was tailored to simulate a real-world use case. Below are brief recaps of each with performance results and key takeaways:
Flight 1 – 1/2 Mile @ 2 GPA, 35' Swath
J150
Speed: 55 FTPS
Max speed 66 FTPS. 55 FTPS max speed before safety override.
Starting Payload: 18.9
GNSS: 28
Acres Covered: 9.63
Remaining Payload: 0.2
Remaining Battery: 41%
Battery Temp: 90°F
Total Flight Time: 5:43
Flight Operation Time: 4:16
T100
Speed: 45 FTPS
Max speed 66 FTPS. 45 FTPS max speed before safety override or flight at 16’ 6” altitude.
Starting Payload: 24.9
GNSS: 32
Acres Covered: 10
Remaining Payload: 2.9
Remaining Battery: 11%
Battery Temp: 123°F
Total Flight Time: 6:35
Flight Operation Time: 5:11
FLIGHT 2 – 1/2 Mile @ 2 GPA, 35' Swath (With 1/2 Mile Ferry)
J150
Speed: 55 FTPS
Max speed 66 FTPS. 55 FTPS max speed before safety override.
Starting Payload: 18.4
GNSS: 28
Acres Covered: 9.36
Remaining Payload: 0.2
Remaining Battery: 37%
Battery Temp: 100.8°F
Total Flight Time: 6:13
Includes 1/2 mile ferry before spraying and RTH.
Flight Operation Time: 3:39
T100
Speed: 45 FTPS
Max speed 66 FTPS. 45 FTPS max speed before safety override or flight at 16’ 6” altitude.
Starting Payload: 19.7
GNSS: 31
Acres Covered: 9.48
Remaining Payload: 0
Remaining Battery: 21%
Battery Temp: 116°F
Total Flight Time: 6:45
Includes 1/2 mile ferry before spraying and RTH.
Flight Operation Time: 4:52
FLIGHT 3 – 1/2 Mile @ 2 GPA, 35' Swath (Full Speed)
J150
Speed: 55 FTPS
Starting Payload: 19.3
GNSS: 28
Flight Height: 10'
Acres Covered: 9.8
Remaining Payload: 0.2
Remaining Battery: 41%
Battery Temp: 95°F
Total Flight Time: 5:57
Flight Operation Time: 4:24
T100
Speed: 66 FTPS
Starting Payload: 25.2
GNSS: 30
Flight Height: 17’
Acres Covered: 12
Remaining Payload: 0
Remaining Battery: 17%
Note: Stopped twice by camera drone — assume 7% battery loss and +45 seconds.Battery Temp: 125°F
Total Flight Time: 5:57
Flight Operation Time: 4:55
FLIGHT 4 – 600’ Square Field @ 5 GPA, 35' Swath
J150
Speed: 43 FTPS
(Max speed with 4 nozzle system-10.5 GPM)
Starting Payload: 19.63
GNSS: 28
Acres Covered: 4.27
Assessing why starting payload and acres covered does not suggest a 5GPA. On back end data, it shows the drone sprayed 21.75 gallons and covered 4.35 acres.
Remaining Payload: 0
Remaining Battery: 60%
Battery Temp: Not Recorded
Total Flight Time: 4:09
Flight Operation Time: 3:00
T100
Speed: 33 FTPS
(Max with 2 nozzle system-7.9 GPM vs 10.5 GPM with 4 nozzles)
Starting Payload: 24.7
GNSS: 29
Acres Covered: 4.99
Remaining Payload: 0
Remaining Battery: 35%
Note: Stopped once by camera drone — assume 5% battery loss and +25 seconds loss.Battery Temp: 135
Flight Time: 5:24
Flight Operation Time: 4:08
FLIGHT 5 – 1/2 Mile @ 2 GPA, 35' Swath (Apples to apples)
J150
Speed: 45 FTPS
Starting Payload: 19.3
GNSS: 28
Acres Covered: 9.82
Remaining Payload: .2
Remaining Battery: 37%
Battery Temp: 95.9
Total Flight Time: 6:32
Flight Operation Time: 6:14
T100
Speed: 45 FTPS
(Drone reset initial speed to 32 FTPS without pilot catching until 3 acres into the flight. In addition, screen record was started late.)
Starting Payload: 20.2
GNSS: 29
Acres Covered: 9.71
Remaining Payload: 0
Remaining Battery: 35%
Battery Temp: 122
Flight Time: Not Recorded
Flight Operation Time: 5:10
Initial Impressions
Both the EAVision J150 and DJI T100 proved why they’re leading the large capacity commercial drone space. While specs only tell part of the story, seeing them side-by-side revealed clear differences in field adaptability, operational smoothness, and ease of use.
The T100 showed amazing strength in high-speed and low application rate operations, though it faced battery drain and heat. Meanwhile, the J150 appears to edge out in flight efficiency and workload balance, but has room for improvement with its FPV image transmission signal quality.
If field speed, spray efficiency and battery longevity are critical, the J150 is a strong contender. If you’re aligned with DJI infrastructure and can manage battery performance carefully, the T100 offers strong throughput and maximal acreage.
Being in a flat field it was hard to get a sense of obstacle avoidance and terrain following. However, both drones show a great deal of increased improvement from drone models which have come before them.
The T100 sensors which show obstacles by highlighting them on the screen is a desired feature. In addition, the sensors worked so well that the camera drone (a drone as big as my hand) tripped the obstacle avoidance several times mid-flight. We hoped to redo the flights that were briefly interrupted, but we were pressed by a storm moving in. Keep an eye out for updated studies and field days with us.
To the manufactures and partners of these aircraft we thank you both for your work and effort to not only optimize our flights, but keep us safer in the sky! We will continue to do more testing in various scenarios, but this was a very insightful first test. Our take away for now is that an applicator cannot go wrong with either drone. Thus, a decision will likely come down to how the consumer feels each manufacturer will perform in after sales service, parts availability and governmental affairs.
Why It Matters
As agriculture continues to face challenges around labor, input costs, and sustainability, these kinds of demos show what’s possible when autonomy meets precision first-hand.
As applicators we must have the best tools—and “best” is different for everyone. As an example, the J150 and T100 drones are likely not the best tool for the cattle farming drone applicators we take care of in South Central Missouri if they have an average field size of 30 acres and fields the shape of a star fish. For this application, they are possibly just too big. However, for our folks in South West Missouri who run big acres it is a no brainer—the bigger and faster, the better.
It would be tough for us to finish this note without stressing the importance of the correct support set up. That ranges from generator needs to trailer size and water demand needs, as well as crew members. If we learned anything today we learned the days of picking drones up by ourselves and not needing an immense amount of product and water in a day is a thing in the past for those planning to add these Big Drones to their equipment line up.
The technology and support tools showcased at Demo Day isn’t just futuristic—it’s ready for your application and operations needs today!
Thank You
A big thank-you to everyone who joined us in the field and helped make the day a success. Greatly appreciate DJI for getting the T100 in our hands early and to Taylor Moreland and the AgriSpray crew for months of our testing with one of the first J150’s to market, as well as spending the day with us. Always great to have you all so close!
Right before we went to publish this we received an email from Taylor (who is in route to China to meet with EA Vision) with a presentation breakdown of the J150 flights. Check that out in the link below—very cool!
Stay tuned by joining our email list or Facebook page for the latest info and upcoming demonstration schedule.
Follow our blog and social channels for updates on test results, new drone integrations, and upcoming events.
Monarch Drone Solutions — Taking Agriculture to New Heights.