Pierce Aerospace Partners with Vigilant Aerospace, integrating Remote ID into NASA Licensed Flight Safety Technologies

Pierce Aerospace Partners with Vigilant Aerospace, integrating Remote ID into NASA Licensed Flight Safety Technologies

April 18, 2022, Indianapolis, IN — Pierce Aerospace announced a partnership with Vigilant Aerospace Systems today to integrate Pierce Aerospace’s Flight Portal Remote ID technologies into Vigilant’s FlightHorizon airspace management and flight safety products.

Vigilant Aerospace is a leader in flight safety technologies for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and has been commercializing licensed NASA tecnology since 2015. The two companies announced a partnership to integrate Pierce Aerospace’s Flight Portal ID, Remote ID technology suite, into Vigilant Aerospace’s FlightHorizon products.

“Vigilant Aerospace is the market leader in multi-sensor detect-and-avoid systems and has supported numerous US Government and commercial UAS projects,” said Aaron Pierce, CEO of Pierce Aerospace. “Vigilant has recently completed a detect-and-avoid contract for the FAA, won several awards from both the Federal Laboratory Consortium and NASA, and is a partner in the FAA’s BEYOND program and the predecessor Integration Pilot Program at multiple UAS test sites. They are domain experts and we are honored that they have selected Pierce Aerospace as their Remote ID integration partner.”

Vigilant Aerospace has a proven track record as a provider of both detect and avoid (DAA) and airspace management systems for integration of UAS into the national airspace.  The company’s FlightHorizon product has been used in multiple NASA and FAA programs and is currently being deployed to support beyond visual line-of-sight flights of UAS for several corridors and droneports.

Inclusion of Flight Portal ID Receivers and their Remote ID data feeds will allow end users to positively identify UAS within the vicinity of FlightHorizon installations, providing new options for air traffic management and additional aircraft collision avoidance capabilities.

“Pierce Aerospace is an industry-leading pioneer in Remote ID with the US Department of Defense,” said Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace. “This partnership provides a great opportunity to integrate Remote ID into our software for both military and civilian users, to significantly enhance safety and to continue to expand the technology frontiers of the UAS industry.”

Flight Portal ID, Pierce Aerospace’s UAS Remote ID technology suite, consists of Remote ID receivers, broadcast modules, software, integration capabilities, and remote administration services. Flight Portal ID offers market-leading Remote ID solutions and has an integration service record with eight United States Department of Defense command and control (C2) and counter-UAS systems.

Remote ID, also known as a “digital license plate,” is the ability of a drone in flight to provide identification and location information to third parties, especially when beyond the visual line-of-sight of the operator. Remote ID is mandated by a new FAA rule which became effective on April 21, 2021, with additional requirements for small UAS operators taking effect by September 2023.

About Pierce Aerospace Inc.

Pierce Aerospace, a Techstars-backed company, is a Remote ID service provider focused on practical and robust integration of Remote ID services into the UAS ecosystem. Pierce Aerospace serves on the Drone Safety Team, ASTM F38 Committee on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and the FAA’s Remote ID Cohort as an industry leader. Funds from the US Air Force and the State of Indiana support Pierce Aerospace’s Remote ID technology - previously nominated as Indiana’s Innovation of the Year by Techpoint and awarded first place in Remote ID technology at AUVSI’s Xcellence Awards. Pierce Aerospace is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, The Racing Capital of the World. Visit www.pierceaerospace.net.

About Vigilant Aerospace Systems Inc.

Vigilant Aerospace is a leading developer of 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 avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA and with a variety of drone development programs. To learn more, visit www.VigilantAerospace.com.

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