American airspace management solutions company ANRA Technologies has had its application to fly unmanned aerial vehicles beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The company intends to deploy its drones for strategic conflict detection and aggregated conformance monitoring services (collectively identified as strategic coordination (SC)) in partnership with power utility entity, the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

NYPA, which already relies on ANRA’s Mission Manager platform for its drone operations, will now integrate ANRA’s SC solution to enable beyond-visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

In a statement, ANRA Technologies said this addition would further boost efficiency and safety across NYPA’s enterprise, as ANRA’s SC has the ability to leverage methodologies from the US Shared Airspace initiative, ensuring NYPA’s drone activities are smoothly integrated with other airspace users.

“This is a first-of-its-kind LOA (Letter of Acceptance),” said Amit Ganjoo, Founder and CEO of ANRA Technologies.

“By using ANRA’s strategic deconfliction services, NYPA not only demonstrates its forward-thinking approach but also prepares them for the FAA’s next drone rule that will include airspace management requirements.”

ANRA Technologies already has experiences in this area, as it has ongoing BVLOS operation in partnership with organisations that include the Arlington Police Department and Manna Drone Delivery.

The approval was granted issued under the FAA’s Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP), designed to provide drone operators with expedited approvals for BVLOS operations.

This special process is part of the FAA’s effort to advance UAS integration and increase safety through oversight while supporting industry advancements in air traffic technology and procedures. As a vital step toward enabling BVLOS flights on a more routine basis, the NTAP streamlines the typically lengthy approval process by focusing on solutions that meet rigorous safety and operational standards.

“With this authorization, ANRA and NYPA are at the forefront of evolving BVLOS operations, utilizing ANRA’s Mission Manager to streamline and centralize automated mission planning, real-time tracking, and SC across a unified platform,” the company’s statement added.

“Mission Manager reduces the need for multiple systems, integrating essential features such as LAANC, fleet management, and airspace services into a single pane of glass, providing NYPA with a powerful, consolidated view of its drone operations.”

The FAA’s authorisation is part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to evaluate and potentially expand BVLOS capabilities in the drone industry, which could enable broader applications of drone technology across various sectors.

Traditionally, drone operations require the pilot to maintain direct visual line-of-sight of the aircraft, but with the advancement of air traffic technology under the NTAP, companies like ANRA can provide solutions that allow operators to manage airspace with a robust, automated system.