A Tel Aviv-based drone startup has received the world’s first permit from Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAI), authorizing drones to fly across the country via its unmanned autonomous software.
High Lander has developed the Vega Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platform, an autonomous air traffic management system for drones that approves and denies flight plans based on prioritization protocols, suggests changes to flight plans when needed, and provides relevant real-time notifications to operators.
Vega is used by EMS drones, robotic air safety, delivery networks and other services operating in shared or overlapping airspace.
The CAAI recently passed an emergency ruling stating that drones may only fly in Israel if they continuously broadcast operational data to an approved UTM system. The data broadcast by the drones can be shared with approved organizations, such as the army, police, intelligence services and other homeland security forces, upon request. A few days after the ruling was issued, High Lander became the first company to receive a license to operate as an “air traffic management unit”. This is the first time that UTM connectivity has been a prerequisite for drone flight approval, and the first time that a UTM provider has been legally authorized to provide this service.
High Lander CTO and co-founder Ido Yahalomi said, “We are very proud to see Vega UTM begin to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed one to manage unmanned aviation on a national scale.” The platform’s robust monitoring, coordination and information sharing capabilities make it perfect for the first recipient of this license, and we are excited to see its capabilities recognized by state aviation regulators.”
Post time: Dec-21-2023