The University of Alaska’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (UASIPP) conducted the first ever beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operation without visual observers, an industry milestone powered by Iris Automation’s on-board, and Echodyne’s ground-based, detect-and-avoid systems integrated onto a Skyfront Perimeter UAV.
After a safe and successful 3.87-mile mission to inspect the Trans-Alaska Pipeline infrastructure, a cohort of leading UAS organizations and technology partners earned permission to fly the same mission without a human visual observer. The flight was conducted on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 and received approval from the FAA based on Iris Automation’s proven computer vision collision avoidance technology, Skyfront’s long-range multirotor UAVs and Echodyne’s ground-based airspace management radars.