Iris Automation has announced that its customer, United Drone Holdings (UDH), has been granted the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone waiver in South Africa, which allows UDH to conduct long-range commercial flights with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The BVLOS flight approval was granted by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), thanks to the utilization of the Iris Automation Casia onboard detect-and-avoid system. During live flight operations, Casia showcased its ability to make automated maneuvers to avoid collisions with manned aircraft.

Thanks to this approval, UDH will not need visual observers or ground-based radars when conducting BVLOS flights, so only two crew members are needed to perform these flights. 

“Iris Automation’s Casia detect-and-avoid system is a game-changer for this industry and enables countless commercial opportunities,” says United Drone Holdings CEO Sean Reitz.

“I set out to find a solution that regulators trusted and that was also light and practical enough for everyday use. Being able to comply with the strict regulations put in place by the South African Civil Aviation Authority and unlocking BVLOS has allowed us to conduct daily missions.”

Described as a “plug-and-play turnkey solution,” the Iris Automation Casia system detects, tracks and classifies other aircraft and makes informed decisions about the threat they could potentially pose to the UAS. To avoid collisions, Casia triggers automated maneuvers, and alerts the pilot on the ground in command of the mission.

“I’m proud to see that our Casia system has been validated once again by gaining BVLOS approval from the regulator in South Africa, which comes in addition to the multiple permissions our technology has already received in the United States,” says Iris Automation CEO Alexander Harmsen.

“Iris Automation currently has customers operating in a dozen countries around the world and we continue to work closely with global regulators both directly and through our customers.”

UDH uses UAS to perform long-range infrastructure inspection, mapping and surveillance for customers throughout South Africa. The host of one of Africa’s largest drone conferences, UDH also provides certified training, SACAA-approved operations, and equipment supply.