Oklahoma Invests in Key Safety Technology to Advance Autonomous Aviation

Oklahoma is continuing to build momentum in autonomous aviation with a state-backed research project focused on one of the industry’s most critical safety challenges: how uncrewed aircraft safely share airspace with other aircraft.

In January, the state awarded OCAST funding for a year-long research effort to advance onboard detect-and-avoid technology for uncrewed aircraft. Detect-and-avoid, often referred to as DAA, allows an autonomous aircraft to detect other air traffic, track potential conflicts, and take action to maintain safe separation. The capability is widely considered a prerequisite for routine beyond visual line of sight flights, a regulatory and technical hurdle that must be cleared before applications like large-scale drone operations and advanced air mobility can expand.

The work is being carried out by Vigilant Aerospace Systems with flight testing support from the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education at Oklahoma State University. The project is supported by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, which invests in applied research aimed at advancing technologies important to the state’s long-term economic growth.

Drone supporting a Vigilant Aerospace flight test with OAIRE at OSU’s Uncrewed Aircraft Flight Station in 2024.

“Detect-and-avoid is an industry-enabling technology,” said Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace Systems. “It fills a critical gap that allows autonomous aircraft to safely operate in the national airspace alongside helicopters, general aviation and other crewed aircraft.”

Today, most commercial drone operations are limited to flights within the pilot’s visual line of sight. While waivers exist, broader adoption of long-range uncrewed operations depends on systems that can independently provide safety assurances in mixed airspace. Onboard detect-and-avoid technology allows autonomous aircraft to operate without relying solely on ground-based monitoring, opening the door to more routine and scalable operations.

As these capabilities mature, they unlock a wide range of public and commercial uses. Emergency response agencies increasingly rely on drones for search and rescue, flood monitoring, and wildfire response. Infrastructure operators use uncrewed aircraft to inspect power lines, pipelines, wind farms and construction sites, reducing risk to workers, and improving efficiency. Longer term, onboard DAA is expected to support early use cases for medical logistics and cargo delivery, as well as future advanced air mobility platforms.

Epperson said state investment is helping position Oklahoma ahead of anticipated regulatory shifts tied to beyond visual line of sight operations.

“By supporting both research and testing here, the state is helping attract and retain engineering talent and aerospace work in Oklahoma,” he said. “That combination of workforce, infrastructure and real-world testing is what allows the industry to move forward.”

The new OCAST project also complements Oklahoma’s parallel investments in aerospace infrastructure. Through the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics, the state has been building out airspace management capabilities at the Oklahoma Air and Space Port in western Oklahoma, supporting long-range uncrewed aircraft testing and advanced flight operations.

Together, these efforts reflect a coordinated push to align research, workforce, and infrastructure around the future of flight.

For Oklahoma’s aerospace community, the message is clear: safety-driven innovation is becoming the foundation for autonomous aviation growth, and the state is positioning itself to play a leading role.