Inmarsat and Heron AirBridge to deploy Velaris technology for commercial drones in Asia Pacific

Inmarsat and Heron AirBridge to deploy Velaris technology for commercial drones in Asia Pacific

(IN BRIEF) Inmarsat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Heron AirBridge, a specialist in Uncrewed Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) in the Asia Pacific region, to integrate Inmarsat Velaris, a highly reliable command and control datalink built for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with Heron’s AirBridge, a complete and flexible UTM system. Inmarsat will also provide Heron with its low SWaP-C Velaris satellite terminals for UAVs. The collaboration will mark the first deployment of Velaris technology in the Asia Pacific region, and trials will commence later this year. Inmarsat and Heron will leverage the Velaris Partner Network, working with stakeholders across the aviation community to develop regulatory frameworks and technologies to boost UAV numbers in Singapore’s airspace and provide a blueprint for successful integration that can be rolled out worldwide.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 16-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Inmarsat will also supply Heron with its low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) Velaris satellite terminals for UAVs, delivering the secure datalink needed for Beyond Visible Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. The collaboration will mark the first deployment of Velaris technology in Asia Pacific and trials will commence later this year.

In tandem, Inmarsat and Heron will leverage the Velaris Partner Network, working with stakeholders across the aviation community to develop regulatory frameworks and technologies that will boost Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) numbers in Singapore’s airspace and provide a blueprint for successful integration that can be rolled out worldwide.

Joel Klooster, Senior Vice President, Aircraft Operations & Safety, Inmarsat Aviation, said “Uncrewed aviation is a sector poised for growth. The air vehicles and communications technology are ready, but  unlocking their full potential hinges on consistent, global regulatory progress.

“Together with Heron, we are creating a blueprint for the integrated airspace of the future. Inmarsat’s Velaris technology, coupled with Heron’s regional domain expertise, will ensure operators of airspace and UAVs have the tools they need to drive regulatory acceptance in the region and beyond.”

Ryan Lee, CEO and Co-Founder, Heron AirBridge, added “Our partnership with Inmarsat is a major step towards increasing UAV integration into Singapore’s crowded airspace and updating regulation so that our efforts can be replicated worldwide. Working together, we look to establish Singapore as a world leader in this burgeoning sector, sharing our vision of creating value through the utilisation of low-level airspace globally. Inmarsat was the sure partner in powering the movement, with Velaris ensuring that we’re equipped with the core network and datalink capabilities we need to drive UAV integration.”

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat delivers world leading, innovative, advanced and exceptionally reliable global, mobile communications across the world – in the air, at sea and on land – that are enabling a new generation of commercial, government and mission-critical services. Inmarsat is powering the digitalisation of the maritime industry, making operations more efficient and safer than ever before. It is driving a new era of inflight passenger services for aviation, while ensuring that aircraft can fly with maximum efficiency and safety. Furthermore, Inmarsat is enabling the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and enabling the next wave of world-changing technologies that will underpin the connected society and help build a sustainable future. And now Inmarsat is developing the first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional communications network of the future, ORCHESTRA.

In November 2021, Inmarsat and Viasat announced the planned combination of the two companies, to create a new leader in global communications.

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About Heron AirBridge

Founded in 2022, Heron AirBridge is a subsidiary of the Heron Technology group, a cyber security and drone technology company Singapore. It is focused on the research and development of cutting-edge Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and drone technology solutions while emphasising safety and security standards across its platforms and services. The company’s UAV mission and traffic management platform, AirBridge, is an operator and OEM-agnostic platform that enables seamless and secure access to the low-altitude airspace for complex Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.

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SOURCE: Inmarsat