Aloft launches real-time situational awareness and UTM collaboration platform for agencies

US Federal Aviation Administration-approved UAS Service Supplier (USS), Aloft Technologies, has announced the release of Aloft Air Boss, an uncrewed traffic management (UTM) platform that enables authoritative agencies to achieve real-time situational awareness and collaboration across their jurisdictions.

By using the Air Boss platform, agencies are able to coordinate drone operations in real time, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and drone as a first responder (DFR). Air Boss provides real-time communication data to coordinate directly with drone operators and telemetry integration for live BVLOS operations. The scope of Air Boss is tailored to the geographic scope of each agency.

“Across the Aloft UTM network, we often have many operators sharing the same airspace, such as after a storm or major event where we’ll see a mix of public safety, news gathering, insurance, utilities, and emergency response all operating together,” the company explains. “Air Boss connects those dots and enables every operator on the Aloft UTM network to share their flight activity and collaborate via the Air Boss.”

Air Boss makes it possible to see the actual details of the mission. So instead of simply being aware that a drone is hovering at 97ft, the platform can see, for example, that the Coast Guard is flying at up to 100ft and plans to remain in this operational area for the next two hours along with who the RPIC is and her contact information.

Aloft says the feature aligns with global standards, including EU U-Space regulations for interoperability in international airspace, ASTM UTM standards for best practices in UTM, and anticipated FAA Part 108 and BVLOS rulemaking.

Core across the Aloft Air Boss view is a mix of custom airspace (including any layers or advisories that users have added to their private view) and Aloft Geo where Aloft has tens of millions of square miles of other official airspace and safety advisories.

Aloft has developed Air Boss in close collaboration with NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance). NUAIR’s Center of Excellence provided real-world feedback, particularly on features, scalability, and security, ensuring that Air Boss meets the demands of BVLOS, from emergency response scenarios to drone delivery.