WICHITA, Kan. – AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American: UAVS), an industry leading provider of unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced aerial imagery, data collection and analytics technologies, today announced its selection as an industry partner in the next phase of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP), the BEYOND program.
The original IPP was launched through a Presidential Memorandum in October 2017 with nine regional participants. The IPP participants and their industry partners used innovative strategies to craft successful safety cases to operate under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) existing regulations. On October 30, 2020, the U.S. DOT announced that the three-year IPP successfully concluded on October 25, 2020. In the release, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios noted, “The IPP propelled the American drone industry forward, allowing for unprecedented expansions in testing and operations through innovative private-public partnerships across the country. Now, the BEYOND program will build upon this success, tackling the next big challenges facing drone integration.”
Eight of the nine state, local and tribal governments that participated in the original program have signed new agreements with the FAA to participate in the BEYOND program, including the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). AgEagle has been selected by KDOT to serve as an industry partner in the BEYOND program to help solve key challenges including:
Commenting on AgEagle’s involvement with the FAA BEYOND program, Company CEO Michael Drozd stated, “We are very pleased that AgEagle will be contributing to the advancement of unmanned aerial systems technology in real-world applications, which should ultimately lead to the streamlining of approval processes for UAS integration into the national airspace system. We believe that our experience and expertise in drone manufacturing, drone delivery systems integration and aerial imaging-based data collection and analytics will prove invaluable as we work in close collaboration with KDOT, universities and other public and private partners involved with the BEYOND program to realize the full and very promising potential of commercial drones.”
About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.
Founded in 2010, Wichita-based AgEagle is one of the nation’s leading commercial drone technology, services and solutions providers. We deliver the metrics, tools and strategies necessary to define and implement drone-enabled solutions that solve important problems for our valued customers. AgEagle’s key growth strategies are centered on three focused pursuits: 1) Contract Manufacturing: establishing AgEagle as the dominant commercial drone design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and testing company in the United States; 2) Drone Solutions: establishing AgEagle as the world’s trusted source for turn-key drone delivery services and solutions; and 3) Ag Solutions: leveraging our reputation as one of the leading technology solutions providers to the Agriculture industry with best-in-class drones and data analytics for hemp and other commercial crops. For more information, please visit www.ageagle.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
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