Boeing will invest in UAS startup to further drone standards, safety
NewsJune 12, 2018
CHICAGO. Boeing announced that it will invest in Kittyhawk (San Francisco, California), a startup that offers a unified approach to the safe operation of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UASs).
Boeing officials say that Kittyhawk's technology will support development of a UAS traffic-management system (UTM) that enables safe coexistence of both piloted and autonomous air vehicles.
"Boeing's world-renowned aviation expertise and resources will help Kittyhawk continue to mature our enterprise offerings," said Joshua Ziering, founder and chief pilot of Kittyhawk. "Boeing's long history of forging new industries within the aerospace sector will also help as Kittyhawk continues its mission to create robust, open, and interoperable standards to empower the commercial drone industry. We have a unique opportunity to pioneer a new aviation industry and having the support of Boeing will give Kittyhawk the resources and expertise we need to be truly disruptive in this space."
Kittyhawk is partnering with Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen to expand unmanned operations by participating in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), a program that aims to create collaborative UTM processes that integrate unmanned aircraft, cargo delivery, and beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations safely into the national airspace.
