Spraying · head to head
Trident 5550 with Raven Autonomy vs SharpShooter
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Case IH (CNH) · United States
The industry's first driverless spreader — Case IH's 415 hp liquid/dry combination applicator running CNH's Raven Autonomy stack, sold in North America.
Best for: US ag retailers and large row-crop operations spreading fertiliser who struggle to seat applicator drivers.Verdant Robotics, Inc. · United States
US-built AI-guided precision-application implement (Verdant Robotics calls it "SharpShooter" — not "Spraybox"; see maker note below) that identifies each plant with 3D machine vision and fires a targeted micro-dose of herbicide, fertiliser or biological product rather than blanket-spraying the field. Tractor-drawn via a standard 3-point hitch; commercially available with expanded nationwide US availability announced May 2025; no EU sales or CE evidence found.
Best for: Large US specialty-crop operations (leafy greens, root vegetables, tree fruit) running a tractor that can supply ~6.5 GPM hydraulic flow and lift ~3,000 lb, that want to cut blanket-spray chemical volume and hand-weeding labour and are comfortable with a quote-based purchase-plus-financing deal rather than a published price.| Trident 5550 with Raven Autonomy Verified 2026-07-16 | SharpShooter Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | United States | United States |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel, 415 hp peak | Tractor-hydraulic implement — no PTO required, needs approximately 6.5 GPM hydraulic flow from the towing tractor |
| Required tractor power | Is the machine (self-propelled applicator) | Any tractor able to lift approximately 3,000 lb via a Class I/II 3-point hitch and supply ~6.5 GPM hydraulic flow — no minimum engine power or PTO published |
| Dimensions | 14 ft 2 in wheelbase | 20-ft working-width configuration (Model B); folds to a compact travel position for towing on a standard gooseneck trailer |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 400 ha | No published minimum; named commercial deployments (e.g. My-T Acres, NY; TopFlavor Farms) are large multi-thousand-acre specialty-crop operations |
| Productivity | Plans and completes entire mapped field operations, one or more machines per supervisor | Up to 7 acres/hour (2.8 ha/hr) field coverage; up to approximately 500,000 plants/hour at 120–480 targeting shots/second |
| Max speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) road | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Camera array + radar · 360° perception · AI obstacle detection (Raven Autonomy) | AI-powered 3D field mapping and machine vision ("Aim & Apply") for real-time crop/weed identification and millimetre-level targeting; multiple application turrets; tablet-based operator interface with live visual confirmation of detection and targeting |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Machine purchase through Case IH / Raven dealers; autonomy availability limited | Purchase, with financing available through Verdant Robotics or its finance partners; price varies by configuration, crop, region and dealer — contact sales for a quote (verdantrobotics.com/faqs, 2026). Sold direct and through regional authorised dealers (e.g. Ag Technologies for the US Southeast). Note a conflict across sources — Future Farming's coverage described Verdant's offering as Robotics-as-a-Service, but the company's current 2026 FAQ describes a purchase-plus-financing model with no RaaS mentioned, so RaaS is not reflected here as the current model. |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed | Consumable spray solution/inputs; routine cleaning of spray boxes, filter checks and nozzle inspection (verdantrobotics.com/faqs) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Applicator operator Whole-field operation supervised from a mobile device · vendor | Chemical volume vs. blanket spraying Up to 99% less chemical volume applied · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Autonomous configuration not CE marked for the EU | Not confirmed — no CE-marking evidence found; the product is US-designed and -built and, as of 2026, sold only in the US market |
| Machinery Regulation | No EU conformity for driverless operation — North-American offering | No EU placement found; would fall under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if ever placed on the EU market |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU | Not applicable — US-only sales, outside EU CAP scope |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.