IT'S been described as the "most ambitious civilian drone trial ever conducted in Australian airspace" and Walcha has been Ground Zero this week.
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Yesterday, Ninox Robotics sent its military-grade drone into the skies east of the New England town, with a very specific target in its sights.
The company's managing director, Marcus Ehrlich, said his team was working with the NSW Department of Primary Industries to locate and follow wild dogs that have been fitted with radio collars for research purposes.
"It's really difficult terrain and we want to see how the system goes in really dense cover," Mr Ehrlich said.
Previous testing has been carried out in several Queensland locations with great results, and the company hopes to have the drones approved for commercial use by the end of the year.
With feral pests such as dogs, foxes and deer costing the agricultural industry millions each year, Mr Ehrlich said having a "new weapon in this fight" was a significant breakthrough.
"It's a quantum leap over any of the current pest intelligence gathering methods currently available," he said.
