CAL Analytics Awarded AFWERX SBIR Direct-to-Phase II Contract

Dayton, Ohio –CAL Analytics announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Direct-to-Phase II contract focused on building out, integrating, and testing an airspace surveillance and deconfliction technology for crewed and uncrewed aircraft of all sizes. This capability is critical to providing air traffic services for seamlessly integrating new aircraft types into the airspace for both permanent and tactical environments. In partnership with BlueHalo, the company transforming the future of global defense with market-leading solutions for command and control (C2) and airspace protection, CAL Analytics will use a combination of local and regional airspace surveillance feeds to verify the performance of the airspace surveillance tracking and deconfliction services. “Airspace surveillance tracking systems play an important role in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations and are essential for providing DAA/deconfliction services to remotely piloted aircraft across many classes of airspace,” says Dr. Sean Calhoun of CAL Analytics. “These tracking systems ingest the various airspace surveillance sensors (ground radars, transponders, ADS-B, optical, etc.) and are required to correlate all the data from these sensors and provide a clean/fused airspace picture. To date, there is no tracking system in operational use that performs this function with the necessary plug-and-play capability required to support the true operationalization and scaling of AAM capabilities.” The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now on June 12th, 2024, CAL Analytics will continue its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America. “The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.” About CAL Analytics CAL Analytics is a small business focusing on the development of aviation and autonomous systems. Located in Dayton, OH and founded in 2010, CAL has expertise in navigation systems, remote sensing, signal analysis, and information fusion. CAL is a leader in UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology, offering airspace management, mission management, detect and avoid, and in-time system-wide safety assurance (ISSA) solutions. Our mission is to provide agile and rigorous approaches to bring new technologies to the world. About BlueHalo BlueHalo is purpose-built to provide industry-leading capabilities in the areas of Space, C-UAS and Autonomous Systems, Electronic Warfare & Cyber, and AI/ML. The company develops and brings to market next-generation capabilities to support customers’ critical missions and national security. Learn more at https://www.bluehalo.com and follow BlueHalo on LinkedIn . About AFRL The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com. About AFWERX As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,200 new contracts worth more than $4.7 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com. Company Press Contact: Sean Calhoun, PhD Founder and Managing Director info@calanalytics.com

Columbus, OH – CAL Analytics, in coordination with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), has launched a low-altitude air traffic management system for drones to support statewide operations. As the number of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, grows, a robust system for managing the low-altitude airspace where these aircraft operate is necessary to ensure safety. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides air traffic control for traditional aircraft flying in certain airspaces, low-altitude traffic management for drones is the responsibility of individual operators. Currently, drone pilots are required to keep the aircraft within sight to avoid a collision. A UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system enhances safety by enabling sharing of flight details between UAS operators, providing a digital tool for flight planning, and allowing operators to eventually operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) while continuing to minimize the risk of collision. “The introduction of this vital capability continues Ohio’s tradition of innovation in the aviation community while prioritizing safety,” said Rich Fox, director of the Ohio UAS Center at ODOT. “As we collaborate with others at the newly opened National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence, we expect this to be the first of many industry-leading activities coming out of that state-of-the-art facility.” Following several state sponsored research efforts to determine the best way to develop and deploy traffic management for uncrewed aircraft in Ohio, this system, implemented by CAL Analytics, provides interoperability where any user can enroll to share and receive flight information. As drone technology continues to advance, traffic management will be a key enabler of BVLOS operations, which currently require special permission from the FAA once stringent safety requirements are met. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to continue our collaboration with ODOT by deploying this discovery and synchronization services to fully realize this first of a kind operational UTM capability throughout the state of Ohio,” said Dr. Sean Calhoun, managing director of CAL Analytics. “This realization is the result of a lot of industry development, including the essential work from The Ohio State University research team and sponsored research from the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN). We are looking forward to working with the various interested stakeholders throughout the state and the FAA to learn from this system and to start scaling UAS operations throughout Ohio.” ODOT and the City of Hilliard will be the first organizations to enroll in the system and begin exchanging information as they look to leverage UAS as a tool for everything from inspection and traffic monitoring to onsite situational awareness for first responders, such as police and fire department dispatches. “Hilliard is excited to leverage this and other airspace services that Ohio has established to enable our first responder drone operations” says Deputy Police Chief for Hilliard, Ron Clark. “These services will be critical for us to achieve FAA approval and operate our drones in a safe and effective manner.” In the coming years, more advanced and BVLOS drone operations will increase in Ohio, which means multiple operators may be flying in the same area to deliver medical supplies, perform emergency services, conduct infrastructure inspections, and even deliver commercial packages. For safe and successful scaling of commercial drone operations, it’s imperative that pilots have situational awareness for strategic deconfliction. While both private and public organizations can enroll in the traffic management system, this resource is particularly valuable for other state agencies and local governments across Ohio. These services are available at no cost to any operator or fleet manager that requests access and goes through the onboarding process. To learn more or request access, please contact CAL Analytics at info@calanalytics.com.