DronePort Network, an aerospace infrastructure development company, has announced a strategic partnership with Vigilant Aerospace to offer advanced air traffic surveillance and airspace management at future drone port projects in the US. Vigilant Aerospace specializes in airspace management and provides the FlightHorizon solution, which offers a comprehensive view of all aircraft in the selected airspace, meeting FAA regulatory requirements for advanced drone flights. The partnership aims to support the growth of autonomous flight and create safe environments for drone operations.
In addition to this partnership, Vigilant Aerospace has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) to develop a distributed version of its detect-and-avoid system. The project, in collaboration with the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) at Oklahoma State University, aims to address the challenges posed by the increasing number of uncrewed aircraft operating in the National Airspace System. The grant is part of a nearly $1 million project, and Vigilant Aerospace previously won an OCAST grant in 2019 to integrate new radars into its collision avoidance system. The project also received support from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the $38.2 million Build Back Better grant awarded to a Tulsa-based coalition. The project will utilize the Skyway Range Flight Corridor, a 114 nautical mile drone corridor, to enable beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight. Oklahoma State University and OAIRE will provide research engineers, pilots, subject matter experts, test aircraft, and research waivers from the FAA to support the project. Vigilant Aerospace is a leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for drones.
Meanwhile, Shield AI, a defense technology company, has been awarded a $198,106,876 contract by the U.S. Coast Guard to provide Contractor Owned Contractor Operated (COCO) Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) services using the V-BAT unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The V-BAT is a single-engine ducted fan vertical takeoff and land (VTOL) UAS that can launch and recover from a hover and fly on wing in horizontal flight. It has more than five years of operational experience at sea and is capable of performing Group 2 to Group 5 UAS missions. Shield AI, founded in 2015, is a defense technology company focused on building AI systems to protect service members and civilians. The company's AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown various aircraft and its products and people are actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies. [0d6b4ea6] [22e6c300] [65d98894] [ae6eceb8]