ARETÉ PARTNERS WITH PARALLEL FLIGHT FOR TACTICAL MARITIME UAS OPERATIONS

21291975-arete-pft-hq-300x225.jpeg
Arete PFT HQ

Representatives from Areté and Office of Naval Research with Parallel Flight’s Firefly UAS

Under a NAVY ONR SBIR, Parallel Flight Technologies and Areté collaborate to Enhance Littoral Surveillance with Firefly, a Heavy-Lift Expeditionary UAS Platform

LA SELVA BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, August 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT) and Areté have partnered under an Office of Naval Research (ONR) contract to enhance maritime surveillance capabilities. The collaboration focuses on integrating Parallel Flight’s Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), Firefly, with Areté’s cutting edge Pushbroom Imaging LiDAR for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) system. The combination of the two platforms will present a cost-effective expeditionary and attritable platform for maritime operations.

Areté’s PILLS system is renowned for its low Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) LIDAR sensors, making it ideal for hydrographic mapping of ocean littoral spaces. This collaboration aims to leverage Firefly’s versatility and cost-effectiveness to enhance the U.S. Navy’s capability to monitor and survey coastal environments. UAS platforms currently utilized for these operations pose logistical challenges due to larger footprints and significantly higher operating costs, whereas Firefly offers a more agile and affordable solution without compromising performance.

“We’ve been very impressed by the agility of the Parallel Flight team. The Firefly platform shows great promise and the ability to successfully serve the Navy’s expeditionary needs in complex littoral environments.” Eric Korpie, Areté Senior Program Manager

Craig Stevens, CEO of Parallel Flight Technologies, commented, “We are excited to partner with Areté on this NAVY ONR initiative. Our hybrid heavy-lift UAS, Firefly, represents significant advancement in meeting the evolving needs of mine countermeasures and littoral surveillance. This collaboration bolsters our commitment to delivering cost-effective solutions for critical defense missions.”

Parallel Flight’s USA built, flagship hybrid aircraft, the 270 lb (122 kg) MTOW Firefly, has been widely praised as a ‘heavy-lift workhorse’ and is well suited for numerous defense and industrial applications. Backed by the National Security Innovation Council (NSIC), USDA, NASA and NSF, the company’s proprietary Parallel Hybrid Electric Multirotor (PHEM) propulsion technology, enables the Firefly to carry an impressive 100 lb (45 kg) payload (not including fuel) for up to 1.6 hours, extending mission durations and expanding operational capabilities.

Background

Parallel Flight Technologies:

At Parallel Flight, we are expanding the realm of the possible with our UAS solutions to save lives, property and the environment. Our patented Parallel Hybrid propulsion technology enables UAS platforms to carry heavy payloads for longer durations. The increased performance profiles offer expanded utility for applications across multiple global markets including wildfire, medical and remote logistics, agriculture, utility and critical DoD missions.
www.parallelflight.com

Areté:

Areté, an employee-owned small business, is an advanced science and engineering company that provides innovative solutions to challenging technical problems faced by the United States Defense and Intelligence agencies. Areté develops sensor systems exploiting a variety of modalities and the associated signal processing algorithms necessary for the extraction, interpretation, and tactically relevant communication of information to our partners.
www.arete.com

Sarah Abdi
Parallel Flight Technologies
sarah.abdi@parallelflight.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn