High Lander’s Vega UTM: Pioneering Mandatory Drone Flight Management in Israel

Israel Mandates Continuous Broadcast of Operational Data: High Lander Receives First License from Civil Aviation Authority

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

Tel-Aviv based High Lander, a major UTM systems provider, recently received the first license from the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority (CAAI) to authorize drone flights using its Vega UTM system. This follows the recent emergency ruling from the CAAI that requires all drone flights to continuously broadcast operational data to a UTM, making Israel the first country in which a UTM has been made mandatory for all drone flights within its airspace.

Vega UTM is a software-only solution that creates and manages tower regions to establish real-time data collection. Capable of automatically approving or rejecting flight plans, suggesting flight path modifications, and is compatible with multiple counter-drone solutions to handle unidentified UAVs or those that might pose a threat. It is compatible with Remote ID standards and High Lander’s own Orion DFM fleet-management solution.

“This is a significant milestone in the development of global aviation and we are extremely proud to be at the forefront,” said Alon Abelson, CEO and co-founder of High Lander. “The CAAI’s ruling is the beginning of a new era –we expect to see regulators worldwide following this lead and finally enabling uncrewed aviation to reach its full potential while maintaining safety.”

“We are very proud to see Vega UTM begin to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed – managing uncrewed aviation on a national scale,” said Ido Yahalomi, CTO and co-founder of High Lander. “The platform’s powerful monitoring, coordination and information sharing capabilities made it the perfect selection for the first recipient of this license, and we’re delighted to see its capabilities recognized by the national aviation regulator.”

The CAAI’s regulation 10916, published on 23 November 2023, requires any drone weighing over 200 grams to broadcast to a UTM in very low airspace. The required information includes its serial number, time stamps, location, altitude, velocity and direction. The CAAI regulation states that this data can be shared with approved security organizations at their request.

Recently, High Lander announced a partnership with Brazilian firm Speedbird Aero to integrate Vega into their drone delivery solutions and further develop the UAV industry in South America. In July, High Lander also announced a new partnership with AIR to create new eVTOL management processes that combine unmanned and manned operations, further establishing them as a full-service provider of airspace management systems.

More information on High Lander is available here.

Ian McNabb is a staff writer based in Boston, MA. His interests include geopolitics, emerging technologies, environmental sustainability, and Boston College sports.