Vigilant Aerospace Systems CEO Kraettli L. Epperson joined a breakout panel at the 2023 TRAM Summit in Tulsa focused on how emerging aviation technologies move from research into deployable products for drone and advanced air mobility users. The session, titled “Zero to 100: Accelerating Drone Deployment by Leveraging New Technologies,” focused on commercialization, and Epperson participated as a speaker representing Vigilant Aerospace Systems’ DAA system based on IP licensed from NASA.
Other Speakers on the Panel
The panel featured speakers from across the advanced mobility and drone technology sector, including:
- Bronwyn Morgan, Moderator
- Kraettli Epperson, CEO, Vigilant Aerospace Systems
- Don Berchoff, CEO, TruWeather Solutions
- Lisa Peterson, Aura Network Systems
- James Spencer, AGILE | ECOSYSTEMS
Together, the panel examined how enabling technologies move from concept into usable aviation products and services.
Commercializing Licensed DAA Technology
Epperson positioned “detect-and-avoid” (DAA) not only as a technical capability, but as part of a broader path from licensed innovation to fielded product. He emphasized that operators seeking to expand capabilities should prioritize three technologies: DAA, access to an uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system, and Remote ID. He also indicated that these tools are likely to become baseline requirements for routine advanced operations.
Epperson also pointed to standards and regulatory acceptance as essential to commercialization. His remarks identified the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the governing authority for airspace safety, while noting that technical standards published by ASTM and RTCA already serve as means of compliance. He argued that the industry still needs broader FAA acceptance of published standards, a final beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) rule, and formal rules for acceptable use of artificial intelligence in autonomous operations.
Integration, Funding and Deployment Pathways
Epperson further addressed integration and funding as part of the commercialization pathway. He encouraged the use of open-source standards such as MavLINK and application programming interfaces (APIs) using standard formats such as JSON to support more practical system integration. Asked about research and commercialization strategies, he stated that licensing agreements should be straightforward and economically feasible relative to the value of the innovation. He also pointed to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) programs as useful non-dilutive support for moving technologies toward deployment.
Epperson also distinguished between the needs of small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. For sUAS, he highlighted DAA, Remote ID, air traffic surveillance availability, lower-cost sensors, broader UTM availability, and improved cellular access. For AAM, he pointed to more advanced onboard radar and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors, along with fully integrated automatic DAA that is ACAS X-compliant.
For Vigilant Aerospace, the TRAM Summit session underscored a consistent message: commercializing advanced aviation technology requires more than invention. It requires usable licensing pathways, standards-based engineering, interoperable systems, regulatory acceptance, and funding mechanisms that help move safety technology from research into real-world deployment.
About TRAM Summit
TRAM Summit is an industry event focused on advanced mobility, emerging aviation technologies, and the organizations building the future of drone and advanced air mobility ecosystems. The “Zero to 100” breakout session examined how critical technologies and datasets can be turned into usable tools and products for drone industry operations.
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