Skyfire Consulting, a trusted expert in public safety and Department of Defense (DoD) drone program implementation, has announced its acquisition by Echelon AI, a company specializing in autonomous and swarming Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). Together, they have formed SkyfireAI, a company focused on integrating cutting-edge AI with drone technology to transform critical missions in public safety and global defense.
SkyfireAI brings together a team with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, swarming, and uncrewed flight systems. This new venture will combine Skyfire’s background in law enforcement, military service, and emergency response with Echelon’s AI capabilities. The company aims to develop solutions that improve safety and operational efficiency.
AI at the Core of SkyfireAI
SkyfireAI operates as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, targeting the growing demand for Drone First Responder (DFR) programs and defense applications. The company provides turnkey drone solutions for law enforcement, fire and EMS, and defense operations. These solutions focus on intelligent perimeter protection and real-time situational awareness.
“We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with our partner Skyfire. We’ve worked together closely almost since formation; with this acquisition, we have now formally combined the world’s best minds in UAS/UAV AI, together with the most experienced team in public safety and DOD drone implementation,” said Don Mathis, Echelon Co-founder and CEO. “SkyfireAI is poised to shape the future of drone technology with advanced AI solutions that will unlock the power of autonomous single and multi-ship drone formations.”
Skyfire’s Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Matt Sloane, emphasized the impact of this partnership: “We’re ideally positioned to help bring the public safety drone flight into the AI age, leveraging autonomy and swarming capabilities to help protect communities and to save lives.”
Autonomy for Complex Missions
The partnership between Skyfire and Echelon focuses on harnessing advanced AI to enable drone autonomy in real-world missions. According to Echelon’s Co-founder and COO, Eric Malawer, “As drone hardware becomes increasingly commoditized, real differentiation lies in the AI mission control software and its associated technology stack.” SkyfireAI’s mission control platform uses generative AI and AI-on-the-edge to deliver autonomous drone operations that can dynamically adapt to changing environments and mission objectives.
Brian Davidson, SkyfireAI Co-founder and CTO, added, “Our platform is purpose-built to help our clients cost-effectively meet their needs, to be seamlessly customizable to those needs, and to support them as the technology evolves and the mission-set becomes increasingly more complex.”
The company’s proprietary platform offers seamless integration across multiple drone hardware configurations, making it suitable for a variety of applications, from public safety to military defense.
Drones as a Service for Public Safety and Defense
SkyfireAI builds on Skyfire’s established reputation for helping DoD and public safety agencies implement drone systems. As Sloane explains, “Historically this support included everything from flying the drones to offering best-in-class regulatory support, training, and hardware integration. Now, we build on that capability by integrating a truly fantastic AI software platform into our client’s operations, ensuring that they remain at the very cutting edge of capability while enabling superior results ranging from improved response time to enhanced situation awareness.”
SkyfireAI is designed to handle the most complex missions by leveraging AI technology to manage end-to-end drone operations. From law enforcement and military defense to emergency response and infrastructure protection, the platform delivers precise, real-time mission control for dynamic environments.
About SkyfireAI
SkyfireAI is an autonomous and swarming AI SaaS platform designed for drone systems in public safety, military, and critical infrastructure sectors. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including drone implementation, regulatory support, training, and advanced AI integration. SkyfireAI’s solutions enable real-time situational awareness and effective command-and-control operations for a range of critical missions.
For more information, visit SkyfireAI.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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