AirMap Wants to Safely Integrate Drones Into Civil Airspace

AirMap and Raytheon Company said they'll soon begin collaborating on projects to safely integrate drones into low-altitude civil airspace, efforts they expect will unlock the positive economic and social benefits of expanded commercial drone operations. AirMap calls itself the world's leading airspace intelligence platform to help drone operators safely fly and communicate in low-altitude airspace. The company claims more than 250,000 registered users.

The two companies intend to demonstrate an integrated solution that will showcase how AirMap’s unmanned aircraft traffic management platform can enhance air traffic controllers’ awareness of potential conflicts between drones and manned aircraft near airports.

Raytheon is already well known in the ATC world as creators of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) used by air traffic controllers across the U.S. to provide safe and efficient services to more than 40,000 civil and military aircraft daily.

In 2018, the majority of U.S. registered commercial drone pilots used AirMap to request more than 45,000 automated authorizations to fly in controlled airspace. Ben Marcus, AirMap co-founder and chairman says Raytheon is "an ideal partner to join AirMap on the path toward enabling safe, efficient, and scalable drone operations in U.S. low-altitude airspace between the ground and 400 feet."