GE launches new company to manage unmanned aircraft
Combining technology and expertise from GE Aviation as well as business incubation experience from GE’s Business Creation team, AiRXOS helps government agencies, regional aviation authorities, and private sector operators manage and meet the increasing demand for sophisticated and safe unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations. The need for such services is becoming increasingly important with the recent, steep growth of autonomous vehicle technologies proliferating the national air space, says the company.
To manage and control these unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) operations, government and regulatory agencies are responding with multiple new programs. AiRXOS has been selected for several programs to develop unmanned traffic management infrastructures, advanced UAV operations, and certification/waiver automation that will help transform the transportation ecosystem.
“These transformative, collaborative efforts between states, industry, and government will be the foundation for realizing the power of UAS advanced operations,” says Kenneth Stewart, General Manager, AiRXOS. “GE already has been using drones and drone technology for some time; what AiRXOS offers is the infrastructure and advanced operations necessary to unlock the emerging markets of autonomous flight.”
AiRXOS was recently selected as a partner for three Department of Transportation UAS Integration Pilot Programs involving The City of San Diego, the City of Memphis, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. AiRXOS will work with these program partners in safely demonstrating capabilities such as operations over urban settings, night operations, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), as well as developing overall UTM systems.
The company has also been selected as a partner in an Ohio Department of Transportation UTM effort that will include both air and ground vehicles and will complement DriveOhio’s current efforts for autonomous and connected vehicle testing along the U.S. 33 Smart Mobility Corridor. AiRXOS, along with Gryphon Sensors, CAL Analytics, and Ohio State University’s College of Engineering will outfit a 35-mile stretch of U.S. 33 with sensors and communication equipment to feed UAS detection and tracking data to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Traffic Management Center.
The UTM solution will enable the Ohio UAS Center to conduct UAS operations such as traffic monitoring and incident response along the corridor safely in a monitored environment. With the UTM system in place, the Corridor will also be able to support future UAS and autonomous operations such as package delivery and air taxi services.
AiRXOS is also collaborating with the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) for an unmanned testing and rating initiative that will combine NUAIR’s new National Unmanned Systems Testing and Rating (NUSTAR) capability with AiRXOS’ Autonomous Service Platform. While NUSTAR will objectively measure UAS performance and test systems against industry consensus standards, AiRXOS will automate the processes used by commercial operators, pilots, organizations, and drone manufacturers to engage in commercial flight operations.
AiRXOS is also a NASA Technical Capability Level (TCL) testing partner and has recently applied for an FAA/NASA Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability service program (LAANC) application in support of bringing a broad range of UAS operations safely to scale.
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