Spotlight

The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) has completed the selection process and executed a contract for the state's first investment in an airspace management system and automatic detect-and-avoid solution to support both drone flights and the rapidly emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry. ODAA has selected Vigilant Aerospace to deploy this system on behalf of the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA). This selection aims to develop the state as a national proving ground for both civilian and military drones and to pave the way for AAM operations like electric vertical takeoff air taxis and autonomous cargo aircraft.

Under the multi-year contract, Vigilant will deploy the first FlightHorizon system at the Oklahoma Air & Space Port at Clinton-Sherman Airport in partnership with OSIDA. Through FlightHorizon, the state will have the ability to monitor airspace and track both cooperative and non-cooperative aircraft, replacing visual observers (VOs) with electronic observers (EOs). When implemented, the system eliminates the need for a chase plane for long-range beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

Read the full press release on the Oklahoma Aerospace and Aeronautics website. If you are an innovative entrepreneur with groundbreaking ideas in the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry, mark your calendars for the UAS Angel Network pitch dates for 2025. These pitch sessions provide the opportunity for emerging aviation start-ups to connect with capital investment. The pitch dates are:

• April 23, 2025
• July 23, 2025

The UAS Angel Network is comprised of accredited individual investors, angel groups, and seed funds who are seeking opportunities to invest in UAS and AAM companies. Subsectors and business applications of interest include: Drone Service Providers, UAS logistics, Airspace Management Systems, UAS Flight Safety Systems, Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), Droneports and Vertiports, and the Commercialization of New UAS Technologies.

Don't miss this opportunity to bring your UAS and AAM concepts to life. To apply for the pitch events, visit the UASAngelNet.com website.
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The latest opportunity is the Passive Infrared UAV Detector from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, with licensing and commercialization support from TechLink. This technology is designed to address the challenge of detecting small drones that pose risks to privacy, security, and public safety. The technology utilizes an IR detector and software system to identify the image signatures of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while discriminating objects in real world environments including birds, buildings, trees.

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