Military + Aerospace Electronics Covers FlightHorizon PILOT Flight Tests
Military + Aerospace Electronics recently covered Vigilant Aerospace Systems’ latest flight tests of FlightHorizon PILOT, the company’s onboard “detect-and-avoid” (DAA) system for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). The article highlights recent demonstrations of the system’s ability to support safer beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations through onboard aircraft detection, tracking, trajectory prediction and avoidance guidance.
The coverage notes that FlightHorizon PILOT has been tested in multiple configurations, including a lightweight version using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic data and autopilot integration called FlightHorizon PILOT-C , and a larger version that adds onboard radar to detect non-cooperative aircraft that do not broadcast their position called FlightHorizon PILOT-M. The article also discusses the system’s role in preparing for future Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for routine BVLOS operations and autonomous aircraft integration.
The article places the recent flight tests in the broader context of Vigilant Aerospace’s development work across military, FAA research and commercial programs. FlightHorizon PILOT is designed to provide onboard airspace awareness and avoidance guidance for a range of uncrewed aircraft, from smaller commercial drones to larger aircraft requiring radar-based detection and standards-based collision avoidance functions.
Read the full article here.
About Military + Aerospace Electronics
Military + Aerospace Electronics is an industry publication covering defense and aerospace electronic systems, emerging technologies and related industry trends. The publication reports on technologies and programs across areas including uncrewed systems, sensors, communications, power, computing and trusted electronics for aerospace and defense applications.
Vigilant Aerospace is the leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones). The company’s product, FlightHorizon, is based on two NASA patents and uses data from multiple sources to display a real-time picture of the air traffic around a UAS and to provide automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to meet industry technical standards, to provide automatic safety and to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The software has won multiple industry awards and the company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and with a variety of drone development programs. Visit our website at www.VigilantAerospace.com