A next-generation autonomous sprayer was unveiled at Agritechnica 2025, targeting improved efficiency, precision and sustainability in specialty crop production. The system, known as KFAST, was developed by Kubota for use in orchards and plantations, responding to labour shortages, rising operating costs and increasingly strict environmental regulations across Europe.
Spraying remains one of the most labour-intensive operations in specialty crop farming, particularly in citrus, olives, nuts and other high-value crops grown on fragmented land or challenging terrain. Kubota said the KFAST autonomous sprayer was engineered to reduce reliance on manual labour while delivering consistent application accuracy and reduced chemical inputs.
Powered by a Stage V-compliant V3800-TIE5 diesel engine and featured four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, allowing stable operation in orchards and plantations with slopes of up to ten degrees. Navigation is managed via Kubota’s AGC Navigation System, combining RTK GPS and LiDAR technology to ensure accurate path following and reliable performance in complex field layouts.
At the heart of the machine is an air blast spraying system with a 2,000-litre tank, a 160 litres-per-minute pump and 26 double nozzles. Integrated H3O technology used ultrasonic tree detection to automatically adjust spray output to canopy size, reducing pesticide use by up to 25 percent and spray drift by up to 48 percent, according to Kubota.
Once field boundaries, inter-row spacing and headlands are digitally defined, KFAST is able to operate autonomously from start to finish. All spraying data is recorded through Kubota’s Specialty Crops Platform, providing full traceability and supporting compliance with sustainability and regulatory standards.
Safety systems include LiDAR-based obstacle detection, automatic rerouting, bumper-activated emergency stops and Safencing® technology to confine operation within predefined areas. Remote monitoring enables a single operator to supervise multiple KFAST units simultaneously.
Kubota confirmed that following successful field trials in Spain and Portugal between July and December 2025, a limited commercial launch of KFAST is planned for mid-2026, with full European availability scheduled for early 2027.
