High Lander Aviation has announced the launch of Vega HighSite, a localized airspace management suite for commercial and governmental facilities and territories.
“Vega HighSite is a specialized service that enables the safe and compliant operation of drones over any site that could benefit from these aircraft, without the bureaucratic hurdles that can hinder their deployment,” said the company in a press release.“Fully scalable, the solution facilitates the development, growth and coordinated operation of entire UAS ecosystems, as well as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, including from diverse operators and UAS models. Another key application of HighSite is to serve civil aviation authorities by enabling the creation and oversight of testing grounds for advanced UAS technology research and development.
“The services of the Vega Hub were built for national scale airspace management, and we have proved this capability,” said Alon Abelson, CEO and founder of High Lander. “At the same time, aviation authorities and diverse organizations have conveyed to us a need for localized airspace management services for facilities like ports, industrial complexes, offshore sites, technology sandboxes and municipal territories. With Vega HighSite, we’re providing the professional-grade airspace management capabilities necessary to enable the seamless operation of drones at scale, with complete safety and compliance, and without the red tape.”
Vega HighSite was designed to serve large-scale facilities such as national ports, industrial installations, oil and gas facilities both onshore and offshore, mining operations, and commercial complexes of all types and sizes, said the company. Sites in all of these verticals worldwide are adopting UAS technology at a rapid pace due to the many utilities of drones, which include security and emergency response services, enhanced equipment inspections, diverse logistics support roles, deliveries (including ship-to-shore), environmental monitoring, general facility oversight, and more.
“However, aerial support services must be compliant with local aviation regulations, and have a system in place that can coordinate drones with each other and other airspace participants, preventing conflicts and maintaining conspicuity and safety. By providing these capabilities, Vega HighSight enables the unhindered use of drones at scale, including secure BVLOS operations, within defined localities.
“Another key application of this service is the creation of UAS sandboxes. These sites provide an arena for the safe testing of UAS technology, and as such are appearing in countries around the world as their authorities move closer to full integration of unmanned aviation. Vega HighSite provides all the infrastructure needed to create a compliant UAS sandbox in one package including deconfliction with manned aviation and coordination with airspace authorities.”
“Vega HighSite is an excellent tool that provides civil aviation authorities with controlled exposure to the world of UTM technology,” added Abelson. “The exponential growth of UAS adoption indicates that full national implementation of UTM technology is an inevitability around the world. Thanks to HighSite, authorities have a way to test the waters before they dive in.”
- Vega HighSite comprises three distinct systems that work together to cover all aspects of unmanned airspace management in complex airspaces:
- Vega UTM, which provides real-time monitoring and deconfliction services; Vega CIS, a common information service for the creation and sharing of airspace constraint data; and
- Vega Fly, a mobile app for pilots to register and get flight plan authorization in moments.
“With Vega HighSite in place, site managers receive end-to-end oversight and control of their defined airspaces, including real-time air traffic and compliance monitoring services, integrated weather overlays, streamlined ecosystem-wide communications, automated deconfliction and alerts, and rich ecosystem data. The modular package includes add-ons such as a billing mechanism that can be enacted in airspaces with multiple operating organizations, airspace permission management, and advanced sensor and counter-UAS systems integrated seamlessly into the system.
“At the operator level, drone pilots join the system by connecting their aircraft to the Vega Fly mobile app, through which they create flight plans and receive authorization within moments, confident that their flights will be conflict-free and compliant. This connection is achieved via Network ID, a capability built into most enterprise grade drones but also easily integrated via a lightweight device attached to the drone’s fuselage. Furthermore, Vega HighSite seamlessly integrates with High Lander’s Orion drone fleet management platform, which provides a hardware agnostic operating system for drone fleets from an integrated command, control, and communications center.”
“There are so many sites that can greatly benefit from the free operation of precision, low-altitude aircraft and the enhanced efficiency, safety and economic opportunities that they bring,” said Shahar Amiel, VP Strategy & Growth at High Lander. “HighSite provides the robust safety infrastructure and regulatory compliance that makes this possible, in one intuitive package.”
