U.S. Air Force Awards Reliable Robotics Funding to Demonstrate Integration of Dual-Use Aircraft Autonomy Systems

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Reliable Robotics, a leader in autonomous aircraft systems, today announced the award of competitive funding under the AFWERX Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program for the United States Department of the Air Force (USAF). This TACFI funding is an extension of prior Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) efforts and has opportunities to expand further in the future. The funding will be used to perform additional flights for representative military missions in a UAS (Uncrewed Aircraft System) configuration.

The TACFI funding also includes matching investment from Eclipse Ventures. “Eclipse believes in the dual-market application of aircraft autonomy and we are excited to provide the commercial matching funds to support this TACFI award for Reliable Robotics to further demonstrate autonomous capabilities for the Department of Defense,” said Greg Reichow, Eclipse Partner. “Reliable is leading the industry with the maturity of its autonomous flight technology, and has made unparalleled progress on certification with the Federal Aviation Administration.”

This TACFI award will further both the commercial development of Reliable’s autonomous flight system and operationally relevant UAS military cargo missions, meeting both Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness standards. The UAS will be equipped with FAA-certifiable conforming hardware and software, including redundant systems and a ground control station for remote piloting.

“The Department of the Air Force needs autonomy to win. Autonomous aircraft systems with high reliability will support immediate air logistics requirements and strategic operational imperatives such as resilient basing, readiness to deploy and fight, and tactical air dominance,” said Lt Col Josh Fehd, AFWERX Autonomy Prime branch chief.

Reliable’s safety-enhancing automation system is aircraft-agnostic, and incorporates redundancy, high integrity navigation and an “always on” autopilot that is engaged through all phases of aircraft operation from taxi to takeoff to landing. Reliable has the only certification plan for full aircraft automation formally accepted by the FAA (2023), and all requirements for the aircraft navigation and autopilot systems agreed upon (2024) signaling the technology is on a clear path to certification.

“Fully redundant, fail-safe aircraft automation is the foundation for scalable autonomy for the defense and commercial markets,” said Robert Rose, Co-founder and CEO at Reliable Robotics. “Reliable’s autonomous flight system has been designed and developed to rigorous FAA standards and to integrate seamlessly into the National Airspace System; this TACFI gives us the opportunity to showcase how these capabilities will benefit America’s warfighters.”

Reliable has been collaborating with the USAF since 2021, most recently demonstrating autonomous cargo missions during the weeklong AGILE FLAG exercise in August 2024. Reliable also delivered a KC-135 Stratotanker Automation Roadmap commissioned by the USAF earlier in 2024, validating that Reliable’s commercially developed technology can be scaled to automate all phases of KC-135 operation.

About Reliable Robotics

Reliable Robotics launched in 2017 to bring safe, certified automation systems to commercial and defense aviation. The company’s system enables remote operation of any aircraft type. Reliable’s vision is to transform the way we move goods and people around the planet with safer, more convenient and more affordable air transportation. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and has a distributed global workforce. Learn more and see job openings at https://reliable.co.

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Reliable Robotics Corporation and its respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of the company. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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 www.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 6,028 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.