Commercially scaling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations offers a massive opportunity for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry. The only barrier that is stopping the industry from taking off in a big way is finding robust and scalable solutions and methodologies for autonomous and semi-autonomous operations. Now is the time to understand and adopt new technologies into your platforms.
If you are interested in commercializing your services and selling more UAVs (and wireless communication drones) and systems to your customers with expanded BVLOS operations, you need to be open to collaboration. It could be the decision that catapults you closer to regulatory approval, and business expansion.
Many different segments of the UAV industry are in a fierce race to get regulatory approval. Each entity is at their own stage in the approval process, and many companies are trying to get approval with different methodologies. When all these market players are divided, the journey becomes harder, but together, it can be easier.
That’s why you don’t need to do everything in-house. You don’t need a fully functioning system that was developed completely alone. There are many companies that can help you if you allow them to. As with any big decision like this, it’s important to choose the right company that can help get you closer to reliable, scalable operations.
Commercial-scale challenges
You might be very good at one product or service related to commercial BVLOS without being able to provide the whole solution. You are not alone. Many different players in the industry are also trying to expand their offerings in order to scale up and sell more platforms.
The regulators are progressing very slowly as the technology develops and may be asking you for product proof that you are not ready for yet. This is why you need to incorporate someone like a component partner into your process to take the load off you in areas that require professionalism and experience, like Connectivity and UTM drone services.
We understand that choosing the right partner takes a lot of trust, but some companies are doing it and reaping the rewards. One example is where a UAV communication company like Elsight collaborates with a partner who offers cloud-based, UAV operations, Like FlightOps (By Simplex C2). Each has their own skillset, but together, they are more powerful.
The Solution
There are still several working methodologies of commercial BVLOS operations, and any number of combinations can successfully lead to commercialism, scalability, and regulation. Who will get there first?
Companies should understand that it is surprisingly easy to integrate and cooperate with other component manufacturers. Once you get over the initial reluctance, the value of combining your products with a partner who completes your vision and makes your case stronger is very rewarding. Remember that your platform needs to be well-designed from the beginning because changing it post-regulation is virtually impossible.
Each unmanned system can be constructed from a number of different company products. Manufacturers, operators, component manufacturers, maintenance companies, and technology partners all have a part to play in a good system. There are many decisions to make.
FLIGHTOPSFlightOps provides a drone operating system (OS) compatible with almost any commercial drone model, allowing real autonomous, BVLOS operation of multiple drones collaborating together in shared airspace. FlightOps is managing drone fleets in agriculture, delivery, security, and defense markets. The FlightOps unique onboard mission computer converts regular shelf drones into smart autonomous robots that can operate beyond visual line of sight.
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A potential collaboration of FlightOps or similar UTM systems and Elsight’s Halo connectivity platform with integration into a UAV presents an all-rounded solution for BVLOS autonomous operations, as it enables planning, mission dispatching, data backhauling, communications, and control override in real-time, if necessary. This means that your UAV will always be managed, and connected with extreme redundancy, to provide an overall reliable UAV fleet, and eventually a favorable position with regulators when looking to scale commercially.
Conclusion
UAV manufacturers? Service providers? Look for partners with experience!
Incorporate OEM partners to expand your offerings and take a step forward to achieve BVLOS commercialization. Plan ahead, as what you select today will be an important part of your system in the future. Focus on scaling your business with the help of the right partner.
Regulatory approval is moving slowly. The technology must walk before it can run. It is the companies that make the right decisions at the outset about who will have the best chance when a robust and tested commercial BVLOS solution is fully approved. Don’t be left behind by fear of working with external partners.
Ofer Haruvi Chairman of Flightops: “The combination of Elsight’s Halo connectivity platform and Flightops’ OS provides drone operators and manufacturers the opportunity to transform their platforms into autonomous, certifiable BVLOS platforms with minimum integration efforts.”
Roee Kashi Elsight’s Co-Founder and CTO: “The communication challenges, topologies, and combinations are endless. Field-to-Field, Field-to-HQ, certified 3G/4G/5G based on public carriers, standalone RF, etc. By using Elsight Halo connectivity, we virtually separate the drone connectivity challenges from the core logic of the drone or any other “connectivity consumer” and by that, letting our partners focus on their main value while we’re taking care of the rest”
