In its Series A, the unmanned traffic management (UTM) software developer had received $5.6 million from Terra Drone
Terra Drone Corporation portfolio company Unifly has announced the completion of its Series B fundraising round. Belgium-based Unifly is the provider of the world’s leading unmanned traffic management (UTM) software enabling the tracking and management of drones alongside commercial aviation in order to provide visibility on where drones can fly, request and provide flight approvals, manage potential conflicts and implement regulations including no-fly zones.
With this Series B, Unifly tacks in $19.3 million to its previously-announced $7.1 million Series A funding led by Terra Drone.
The UTM system provider has won several national level contracts, including with air navigation service providers of Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Austria. Unifly is also the selected UTM provider in several regions of the United States, including the pioneering NuAir North Eastern UAS flight corridor and research site. Further, Unifly manages drone corridors in Japan and Malawi, and is a selected technology provider for the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s LAANC program.
PWC estimates the global market potential for commercial use of drones at more than $127 billion. However, the growing deployment of drones is giving rise to predictable challenges such as safety, security and privacy. This has also been highlighted by the recent drone disruptions around Gatwick, Newark and Frankfurt airports.
These concerns need be resolved rapidly at the national and international level to unleash the market for commercial BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) flights. The legislation is rapidly falling into place, with European countries under pressure to implement the recently published new European regulation by 2020, and the US and rest of the world not far behind.
As part of Terra Drone’s rapidly growing global network of companies, Unifly enjoys fast-track access to countries in the Asia Pacific region, Africa, and South America.
Marc Kegelaers, CEO, Unifly, says, “This funding round will enable Unifly to continue building its world-leading features and to expand the product offering. This now includes the BLIP which acts as an electronic license plate for drones, combined with high-precision drone tracking. We will continue to grow our international presence and secure additional contracts in the global UTM ‘land grab’.”
Toru Tokushige, CEO, Terra Drone Corporation, adds, “Our investment and continued belief in Unifly’s technology stems from our vision for a UTM system which can be localized for deployment anywhere in the world. We are also actively developing counter-drone services on a global scale. We are ideally positioned to do so not only because of our global reach, but also because Unifly has gathered a great deal of expertise in this area by working with leading counter-drone solution providers.”
Terra Drone will continue to invest in cutting-edge unmanned technology providers in the future.
About Terra Drone Corporation
Established in 2016, Terra Drone Corporation has quickly become one of the world’s largest industrial drone solution companies employing over 500 drone industry professionals. The company’s head office is located in Tokyo, Japan, and more than 25 branches are spread globally throughout Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and Oceania. Terra Drone provides innovative enterprise drone services for oil and gas, utilities, renewables, mining, construction, and GIS sectors, among others.
Terra Drone provides end-to-end solutions specializing in each sector by using high-performance hardware, cutting-edge software and customizable drone traffic management systems (UTM). The company actively invests in UAV technology providers to help them promote their products and services in the global market.
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For more information, contact:
Terra Drone Co.
Tel: +81(0)3-6319-7193
Email: info.en@terra-drone.co.jp
