Dependable Robotics, a pacesetter in autonomous plane methods, in the present day introduced the award of an Indefinite Supply, Indefinite Amount (IDIQ) contract leveraging the corporate’s dual-use expertise to supply superior automation to United States Air Power (USAF) airlift and refueling plane. The versatile IDIQ contract will span a number of years, and advance the event, manufacturing and deployment of Dependable’s autonomous flight system. The contract can also be a automobile for AFWERX and Dependable Robotics to discover partnerships with different branches of the army and combatant instructions to scale and transition Dependable’s superior automation applied sciences for particular use instances.
In its quest to develop revolutionary logistics capabilities, with a deal with the Indo-Pacific, the USAF is in search of business applied sciences like Dependable’s autonomous flight system to allow longer length operations in contested environments whereas rising security and lowering calls for for aircrews and reducing procurement prices.
“Plane autonomy is a mission important functionality for the Division of the Air Power. This IDIQ contract is pushed by demand from Air Mobility Command, Air Fight Command, Pacific Air Forces and instructions that need to make use of superior plane automation of their fleets as quickly as potential,” mentioned Lt Col Josh Fehd, AFWERX Autonomy Prime Department Chief.
Dependable has been collaborating with the Air Power Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX since 2021 underneath SBIR contracts, and has demonstrated distant piloting throughout main workouts comparable to AGILE FLAG. Dependable was additionally lately awarded aggressive funding underneath the AFWERX Tactical Funding Enhance (TACFI) program. Earlier this 12 months, Dependable delivered a KC-135 Automation Roadmap commissioned by the USAF, validating that Dependable’s commercially developed expertise can convey versatile superior automation to all phases of the KC-135 air-to-air refueling operation.
“IDIQ contract award alerts long-term engagement with the Air Power and gives flexibility for us to additional display our autonomous flight system in operational readiness actions, discover automation of extra plane and deploy production-ready capabilities,” mentioned Dr. David O’Brien, Main Normal (Ret.), and Senior Vice President of Authorities Options at Dependable Robotics. “Along with automating the Cessna 208B Caravan and KC-135 Stratotanker, different plane just like the Cessna 408 SkyCourier and ISR platforms may be evaluated underneath this contract.”
Dependable’s safety-enhancing automation system is aircraft-agnostic, and incorporates redundancy, excessive integrity navigation and an “at all times on” autopilot that’s engaged by means of all phases of plane operation from taxi to takeoff to touchdown. The twin-use automation resolution converts present business airframes with autonomous flight methods, which may be configured for protection functions. With FAA oversight, Dependable demonstrated distant operation of two totally different plane varieties in civilian airspace with nobody onboard, a Cessna 172 in 2019 and extra lately, a Cessna 208B Caravan in 2023. Dependable has essentially the most superior program for full plane automation with FAA acceptance of its certification plan in 2023, and additional certification progress in 2024.
About Dependable Robotics
Dependable Robotics launched in 2017 to convey protected, licensed automation methods to business and protection aviation. The corporate’s system permits distant operation of any plane kind. Dependable’s imaginative and prescient is to rework the best way we transfer items and other people across the planet with safer, extra handy and extra reasonably priced air transportation. The corporate is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and has a distributed international workforce. Study extra and see job openings at https://dependable.co
Dependable Robotics Company and its respective logos are emblems, registered emblems, or service marks of the corporate. Different merchandise and firm names talked about are the emblems of their respective homeowners.
About AFRL
The Air Power Analysis Laboratory is the first scientific analysis and growth heart for the Division of the Air Power. AFRL performs an integral function in main the invention, growth, and integration of reasonably priced warfighting applied sciences for our air, house and our on-line world drive. With a workforce of greater than 12,500 throughout 9 expertise areas and 40 different operations throughout the globe, AFRL gives a various portfolio of science and expertise starting from elementary to superior analysis and expertise growth. For extra info, go to www.afresearchlab.com
About AFWERX
Because the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate throughout the Air Power Analysis Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small companies and start-ups to handle essentially the most urgent challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs roughly 370 army, civilian and contractor personnel at 5 hubs and websites executing an annual $1.4 billion finances. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 6,028 new contracts value greater than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. protection industrial base and drive quicker expertise transition to operational functionality. For extra info, go to: www.afwerx.com
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