Ascent AeroSystems and Autonodyne have collaborated to create the next generation of comprehensive autonomous drone solutions. Both industry leaders were recently announced as finalists for the AUVSI 2021 XCELLENCE Awards – Ascent AeroSystems for Hardware and Systems Design and Autonodyne for Software Design and Coding. The partnership will usher in a new era of autonomous functionality for mission-critical UAVs.
Ascent AeroSystems’ Spirit coaxial Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) offers a versatile and durable system for mission-critical operations. Combined with a fully modular, plug-and-play payload design, the Spirit’s open architecture design allows operators to easily add or upgrade software to unlock entirely new operating capabilities without the need to design or develop a new aircraft.
“Sensor and autonomy technologies are evolving very rapidly, so it’s critical to build on an aircraft platform that can quickly accommodate new payloads and software. A complex unmanned aerial system is only as strong as its weakest component, and even the best operators can’t scale in the real world without a truly dependable, all-weather airframe,” said Paul Fermo, VP of Business Development at Ascent AeroSystems. “That is our focus. We deliver aircraft platforms that can fly twice as far, twice as fast, twice as long and carry twice as much in any weather, while partnering with best-in-class domain experts like Autonodyne to deliver unmanned systems with unparalleled performance.”
Easily added to the Spirit for enhanced autonomous capability, Autonodyne’s software solution provides capability that allows the Spirit to perform autonomous tasks either individually, or as a team with multiple vehicles, all from a single operator and control station.
“Autonodyne brings next generation autonomy to the small UAS domain,” said Steve Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer at Autonodyne. “The addition of Autonodyne’s software package with the Spirit airframe from Ascent AeroSystems unlocks new possibilities for tactical control of one or more vehicles across a wide spectrum of use cases and customers.”
