Ligado Networks has formed a collaborative partnership with Harris Corporation to enable beyond visual line-of-sight operations for unmanned aircraft systems (BVLOS UAS). The two companies share a vision with respect to the commercial market for BVLOS UAS applications and will demonstrate how their joint expertise and technological capabilities can enable the safe integration of such operations into the national airspace system.
Ligado and Harris will demonstrate innovative technologies and applications of BVLOS UAS through technology trials. Such trials will include Harris’ planned BVLOS Network, HubNet, pilot in North Dakota and Ligado’s upcoming network demonstration in Louisiana. The companies will test mission-critical use cases to generate data that will be beneficial in future U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification processes, including the development of safety-related use cases.
Tamara Casey, Chief Technology Officer of Ligado Networks, is “excited to once again partner with Harris, which built our satellite’s industry-leading 22-meter mesh reflector-based antenna. Ligado serves the aviation industry today with our powerful satellite, and we look forward to working with Harris and commercial end users to further demonstrate how our technologies can benefit both manned and unmanned aircraft in this incredibly promising era of next-generation aviation. There is an urgent demand for BVLOS UAS operations in America’s core infrastructure industries. Together with Harris, we look forward to unlocking the possibilities of this technology to meet the growing demand.”
This partnership comes on the heels of Harris’ recent announcement of its North Dakota grant to expand UAS research and testing and follows the successful utilization of Ligado’s network capabilities in demonstrations of BVLOS UAS applications supporting critical infrastructure.
“Harris is excited to partner with Ligado in bringing two industry leaders together to address the rapidly emerging needs of BVLOS UAS operations,” said George Kirov, vice president and general manager, Harris Commercial UAS Solutions. “Our collaboration will build upon our companies’ highly complementary capabilities to bring to the commercial UAS industry communications solutions that will be unmatched in geographical footprint, cost-efficiency, and reliability.”
Harris is a leading technology innovator, solving customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect.
Ligado is readying an advanced satellite-terrestrial network to provide pervasive, highly secure and ultra-reliable connectivity to core infrastructure industries anywhere, all the time. By working with leading technology partners such as Harris, Ligado is making stronger connections.
Source: Press Release