Delair Acquires Airware Drone Data Analysis Software

By Mike Ball / 31 Oct 2018
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Delair fixed-wing UAV

Delair, a supplier of commercial drone solutions, has announced an agreement to acquire the key assets of Airware, a developer of software analytics tools for drone-based data. The acquisition brings Delair a proven software solution, a highly skilled engineering and customer success team in Paris, and an installed base of customers and dealers worldwide. The acquisition will accelerate Delair’s global growth and broaden its end-to-end solution for the commercial UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) market.

“The acquisition signals a new period of growth and product line expansion by Delair. With the integration of Airware’s complementary technology, we have significantly strengthened our position as the leading provider of drone-based business intelligence globally. This strategic development further enhances our offer which enables the digital transformation of enterprises in the key industries we serve,” said Michaël de Lagarde, co-founder and CEO of Delair.

The addition of Airware’s assets will expand Delair’s presence in the United States, as well as in key industrial markets.

Airware has developed a successful software offering and its cloud-based solution has been adopted by large companies in the construction, mining and insurance industries. Airware (and previously Redbird) developed its solution together with Caterpillar. Caterpillar dealers covering more than 50 countries have provided the Airware software to their customers to improve productivity and safety on mines, quarries, and construction sites.

Delair has focused on end-to-end solutions since its inception, including fixed-wing drones, cloud-based data processing and analysis, local customer support and custom consulting services. Delair has recently closed a round of B-Series financing with Intel Capital to accelerate the development of its software offering, and the Airware acquisition supports that strategy. The company, which now has more than 180 employees worldwide, supports customers in a wide range of industries such as mining, construction, energy, utilities, oil and gas, transportation, security and agriculture.

The agreement between the two companies includes a business continuity plan to ensure existing Airware customers and dealers continue to receive support and service, as well as upgrades as needed.

“Airware played a pivotal role in enabling enterprises to leverage drone technology and powerful analytics to improve productivity, mitigate risks, and take workers out of harm’s way. As we looked for a partner, we were impressed by Delair’s vision and all the synergies that exist between our technologies and our views of the market. The drone industry is maturing fast and customers are now looking for comprehensive, end-to-end solutions. Airware’s advanced data management and data analysis tools will be highly complementary with Delair’s existing solutions. This will greatly benefit all our customers, who are using drone technologies to improve their operations. We are proud that our technology and much of our team lives on as part of the market leader, Delair,” said Sasha Pesic, CEO of Airware.

“We are very excited to see our team joining Delair. There’s a great fit as this will form a comprehensive solution with hardware, advanced software, and customized services. Optimized analytics is the key piece of software that enterprise companies need to scale their drone program. We look forward to leveraging our unique capabilities in machine learning and commercializing them with Delair,” said de Maistre, co-founder and former CEO of Redbird, who will lead software channel sales efforts at Delair.

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