- AeroVironment/SmartC2 solution meets
requirements for a small unmanned aircraft system platform with
beyond-visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) capabilities and UTM
communications interface
- AeroVironment/SmartC2 team will help
NASA prove technologies that support the development and approval
of FAA requirements for safe flight and respectful integration of
small UAS into the National Airspace
- Solution comprises AeroVironment’s
FAA-certified RQ-20A Puma™ AE and SmartC2’s VirtualAirBoss™
operations infrastructure
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a world leader in
small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced that the
company – in partnership with SmartC2, a leading provider of flight
business management systems – will team with NASA on its Unmanned
Traffic Management (UTM) Technology Capability Levels (TCL) 2
flight demonstration slated for October 2016.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503006251/en/
AeroVironment Puma™ AE and Smart C2
VirtualAirBoss™ to demonstrate beyond visual line of sight UAS
traffic management with NASA (Photo: Business Wire)
The demonstration will build on results from UTM TCL1 field
testing concluded last August and ongoing operational demonstration
and field testing of AeroVironment’s FAA certified Puma™ AE
small unmanned aircraft system to focus on beyond-visual
line-of-sight operations in sparsely populated areas. Researchers
will test technologies that allow dynamic adjustments to
availability of airspace and contingency management, such as
onboard autopilot 3D geo-fencing, enhanced safety with back-up data
link command and control, and ADS-B integration communicating via
the SmartC2 VirtualAirBoss™ aviation business management system
into NASA’s UTM research platform.
NASA is working with the FAA and others to develop concepts and
requirements for a UTM type construct to safely manage diverse UAS
operations in the airspace above buildings and below traditional
aircraft operations in suburban and urban areas.
The AeroVironment Puma AE (All Environment) small unmanned
aircraft system delivers situational awareness directly to its
operator in ground, riverine, and maritime operations and is
capable of collecting data for terrain modeling, vegetation
analysis and infrastructure management. Launched by hand and
capable of landing on the ground or in fresh or salt water, Puma
empowers its operator with a high degree of portability, 3.5 hours
of flight time and operational flexibility for real-world missions
in routine and extreme environments. Puma AE remains the only small
unmanned aircraft system with FAA restricted type certification for
commercial operations over American soil.
VirtualAirBoss is a comprehensive, browser-based,
service-oriented-architecture (SOA) solution to help UAS service
groups manage their business operations from end to end. The
easy-to-use software system provides one central place where
operators can schedule, plan, manage and report on their entire
fleet and business processes.
“We are eager to build on our strong commercial UAS information
solution and work with NASA and SmartC2 in this pivotal research,
development and testing project to transform the way low-altitude
airspace is managed,” said Kirk Flittie, vice president and general
manager of AeroVironment’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems business
segment. “Both companies bring powerfully relevant capabilities to
deliver a critical enabler for emerging commercial UAS
opportunities in the national airspace system.”
The AeroVironment/SmartC2 package supports NASA’s UTM TCL2
research platform for an integrated system capable of safely flying
crossing trajectories that are separated by altitude in both
line-of-sight and beyond-visual line-of-sight operations over
sparsely populated areas with minimal structures on the ground. The
VirtualAirBoss solution serves as the bridge between the Puma
ground control station and the NASA UTM research server.
“The SmartC2 VirtualAirBoss will serve as the interface to the
UTM research platform,” said Stuart Rudolph, SmartC2 chief
executive officer. “The VirtualAirBoss open, SOA-based design
incorporates a variety of current software tools, web services and
methodologies that simplify communication with other systems, and
can push and pull data with UTM Build 2 as appropriate.
“In other words, VirtualAirBoss will be used as the UTM ‘client’
for receiving data from the aircraft for pre-flight scheduling,
in-flight positioning; and post-flight closeout. All of these data
will be brokered through the VirtualAirBoss to the UTM TCL 2
research platform,” Rudolph said.
Puma’s asset and operational details will be captured
organically in VirtualAirBoss, including all airframe identifying
details, such as size, weight, style, model, registration, payload,
speed parameters, endurance, control modes, launch/recovery
methods, lost link capabilities and flight history. These asset and
operational details, along with personnel qualifications,
availability and certifications, will be available to authorized
users of VirtualAirBoss, and are easily included in any required or
requested reports.
During the UTM TCL2 demonstration, position reporting will be
required of all UAS operations within the airspace and a public
portal will inform general aviation, hobbyists and the public about
relevant UAS commercial operations.
“AeroVironment and SmartC2 are eager to support NASA and the FAA
with proven, reliable technologies that will speed the development
of beyond-line-of-sight standards and requirements to enable the
safe integration of UAS into U.S. national airspace. UAS operating
beyond-line-of-sight will bring transformational capabilities to
utilities, agriculture, oil and gas, railroads and other industries
with large areas and long distances to monitor and manage,” Flittie
said.
About AeroVironmentAeroVironment is a technology
solutions provider that designs, develops, produces, supports and
operates an advanced portfolio of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
and electric transportation solutions. The company’s
electric-powered, hand-launched unmanned aircraft systems generate
and process data to deliver powerful insight, on demand, to people
and enterprises engaged in military, public safety and commercial
activities around the world. More information about AeroVironment
is available at www.avinc.com.
About SmartC2SmartC2 is a woman-owned small business
offering the VirtualAirBoss™ (VAB), an easy to use, browser-based
solution to help aviation service groups manage their business
operations from end to end. SmartC2’s VirtualAirBoss software
provides one place where operators can schedule, manage and
automatically report on their entire fleet and business processes –
crews, customers, payloads, maintenance, COA details, analysis, and
invoicing (or cost center allocations). Manufacturers use
VirtualAirBoss for supply chain management, warranty and repair
tracking. Commercial operations and their service providers use VAB
to manage UAS.
Safe Harbor StatementCertain statements in this press
release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements are made on the basis of current expectations,
forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties,
including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental
and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause
our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include,
but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing
contracts and obtain additional contracts; our reliance on sales to
the U.S. government; changes in the timing and/or amount of
government spending; changes in the supply and/or demand and/or
prices for our products and services; changes in the regulatory
environment; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets
in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets;
failure to develop new products or integrate new technology with
current products; and general economic and business conditions in
the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list
and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we
file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our
most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on
10-Q. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503006251/en/
AeroVironment, Inc.Steven Gitlin,
+1-626-357-9983pr@avinc.comorFor AeroVironment, Inc.Mark Boyer,
+1-310-229-5956mark@boyersyndicate.com
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