Vigilant Aerospace Systems CEO and Co-Founder Kraettli L. Epperson joined host Kevin Price on the nationally syndicated Price of Business radio show to discuss the safety technology needed to support expanding uncrewed aircraft operations. The interview covered collision avoidance, Vigilant Aerospace’s licensed NASA-derived technology and proposed federal rules for longer-distance commercial drone flights.
Epperson emphasized that autonomous safety must be built into aircraft operations as the industry grows:
“In order to have true autonomy and the type of scale that we could see to make the U.S. economy competitive with other nations that have already taken a lot of these steps, you have to have autonomous safety built in as a baseline function.”
The conversation also addressed Vigilant Aerospace’s recognition in Fast Company’s 2026 Next Big Things in Tech awards, which highlighted the company’s FlightHorizon technology in the Robotics and Automation category.
Building a Safety Layer for Autonomous Aircraft
Epperson described Vigilant Aerospace’s focus on detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems that help uncrewed aircraft operate safely around other airspace users. These systems use inputs such as ground-based radar, onboard radar and aircraft transponder signals to support traffic awareness and collision avoidance.
As Price asked about the broader growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Epperson explained that Vigilant Aerospace’s role centers on safety technology developed around aviation requirements and industry technical standards.
“We give it a safety layer,” Epperson said. “That’s really what we’re focused on. It’s our sole focus. It is our niche.”
He compared the engineering requirements for aviation safety systems with those governing other safety equipment, including vehicle brakes and seat belts. The discussion emphasized the importance of defined technical standards as autonomous systems move into practical use.
From NASA Research to Ground and Onboard Systems
The interview traced Vigilant Aerospace’s development over 11 years, beginning with technology licensed through two NASA patents. Epperson also discussed the company’s U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract to develop an onboard version of its collision avoidance technology.
That development has supported both ground-based and onboard applications. Epperson cited the airspace safety deployment at Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in western Oklahoma as an example of the company’s ground-based work. At Infinity one, Vigilant Aerospace’s FlightHorizon TEMPO airspace management software keeps the spaceport aware of all activity in the surrounding area.
He also described onboard configurations ranging from systems for small drones to versions incorporating compact radar for larger uncrewed aircraft. These configurations address different aircraft sizes and operating requirements while supporting the same need to understand nearby traffic.
Supporting Public Safety and Longer-Distance Operations
Epperson identified public safety as an important area of adoption, including law enforcement, search and rescue, flood response and fire response. He also discussed infrastructure inspection, including dams and electrical lines.
For these applications, airspace safety is part of planning how uncrewed aircraft can deliver useful services. Epperson noted the growth of drone-as-first-responder programs and the need to help safety-oriented organizations incorporate collision avoidance into their operations.
The conversation then turned to beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), meaning flights beyond the remote pilot’s direct visual observation. Epperson discussed the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed Part 108 framework for routine BVLOS operations and proposed Part 146 framework for supporting third-party services.
The FAA proposal is intended to establish a pathway for routine, scalable BVLOS operations. Its accompanying automated data services framework would establish oversight for providers supporting those flights. Epperson discussed these proposals as potential drivers of broader commercial adoption, while acknowledging that final requirements could differ from the proposed rules.
Across the interview, his central point remained consistent: expanding the use of autonomous aircraft requires safety capabilities that can support increasing operational scale.
Listen to the full interview here.
About Price of Business
Price of Business is a nationally syndicated business radio program hosted by Kevin Price and distributed by USA Business Radio. Launched in 2001, the show features interviews and discussions covering business, technology and national news.
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