A MicaSense sensor on a drone. (MicaSense Photo)

MicaSense, the Seattle-based makers of sensor equipment for drones used by the agriculture industry, has been acquired by Wichita, Kan.-based AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc., a leader in commercial drone technology and services.

AgEagle announced Wednesday that it was acquiring MicaSense from Paris-based Parrot, a leading European drone-industry group, in a combined cash and stock transaction valued at $23 million.

MicaSense was founded in 2014 and moved to Seattle from California around 2015, where it set up shop in the Fremont neighborhood. The company raised $7.4 million from Parrot in 2016. Its high precision thermal and multispectral sensors are designed to help farmers scan fields with drones and ultimately improve the health and output of their crops.

AgEagle said in a news release that MicaSense technology is well positioned to address applications in the energy and insurance sectors, as well as autonomous flight safety for package delivery, among other solutions.

“With the onboarding of MicaSense’s powerful imaging technologies onto a drone designed for package delivery, we believe it will enable us to produce a turnkey solution that processes in-flight data in real-time,” AgEagle CEO J. Michael Drozd said in a statement. “This will allow for drones to effectively assess emergency landing zones, confirm and substantiate successful deliveries and determine proximity warnings, among other important considerations.”

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