NASA Awards Silent Falcon UAS Airworthiness Statement

By Mike Ball / 24 Oct 2016

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

Silent Falcon UAS

Silent Falcon UAS Technologies has announced that it has been granted an Airworthiness Statement by the Airworthiness & Flight Safety Review Board, part of the Ames Research Center division of NASA.

This Statement allows the Silent Falcon UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) to participate in the NASA UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) project headed up by the NASA Ames Research Center.

NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are working together to identify ways to safely enable large-scale UAS operations in the low-altitude airspace. The growing number of UAS and commercial UAS applications has led to this critical project.

Silent Falcon participated in a series of practice runs and one scenario in preparation for the actual UTM flight tests, which will take place in Reno, Nevada. Silent Falcon, along with 11 other partners in the UTM program, will fly their aircraft in typical UAS scenarios. The tests will focus on the ability to alert and inform airspace users of potential dangers and conflicting situations that go BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) as well as within VLOS (Visual Line of Sight). Safety is of utmost importance and visual observers will be put in place to ensure aircraft stay on their designated paths and do not interfere with other aircraft in the area.

“We are extremely fortunate to be a part of this very important project – both in the actual flight operations, as well as the development of the UTM software. This project is extremely important to the UAS industry and is of particular interest to us as we manufacture a long range, long endurance fixed wing UAS that was designed for BVLOS applications. We are grateful to NASA for including us and we look forward to further participation as the project continues to move forward,” said John W. Brown, Silent Falcon UAS Technologies President & CEO.

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

New Quartz Accelerometers for Industrial Applications Unveiled

Micro-Magic launches AC-6 quartz flexure accelerometers for demanding unmanned applications operating in high-temperature, high-vibration industrial environments

May 13, 2025
Advantages of Forward Looking Sonar: Q&A with FarSounder

Jake Palmer from FarSounder delves into the advantages of forward looking sonar, emerging trends, and highlights the environmental impact of their technology

May 13, 2025
GA-ASI’s Next Generation RPAS Meets Stringent Airworthiness Standards

The UK has certified the RAF’s Protector RG Mk1 UAS based on GA-ASI's MQ-9B, marking a major milestone in airworthiness for large, unmanned aircraft systems

May 13, 2025
CENTUM to Provide Signal Intelligence Systems for Maritime Drone Surveillance

Marine Instruments and CENTUM are collaborating to equip the M5D-Airfox drone with airborne signal intelligence, enhancing maritime surveillance and rescue missions

May 13, 2025
Textron Uncrewed Technologies Strengthen Littoral Combat Ship Operations

Learn how the integration of Aerosonde UAS and CUSV is transforming Littoral Combat Ship missions with enhanced versatility, autonomy, and operational reach

May 13, 2025
SAE Media Group Releases Agenda for Counter UAS Middle East & Africa 2025

The inaugural Counter UAS Middle East & Africa 2025 will gather global defense leaders in Amman to explore threats, technologies, and strategies shaping regional drone defense

May 13, 2025

Featured Content

SAE Media Group Releases Agenda for Counter UAS Middle East & Africa 2025

The inaugural Counter UAS Middle East & Africa 2025 will gather global defense leaders in Amman to explore threats, technologies, and strategies shaping regional drone defense

May 13, 2025
New Tactical Grade IMU from Inertial Labs for UAVs & Guided Munitions

Inertial Labs has launched the IMU-H100, a compact, tactical-grade MEMS IMU designed to enhance precision navigation for UAVs and guided systems

May 08, 2025
Geolocation in GPS-Denied Environments Successfully Demonstrated

Trillium Engineering's GD-Loc, integrated with the HD55-MV gimbal on a Group 2 UAS, has successfully demonstrated sustained Category 1 geolocation accuracy within six meters, highlighting its critical advantage for precise ISR missions in GPS-denied environments

May 06, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.