Landing Zones Canada, Shearwater Aerospace, and Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems today announced a strategic collaboration to enhance the route planning and flight endurance of remote piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) that leverage Landing Zones Canada’s novel uncrewed aerial vehicle, Shearwater’s Smart FlightTM world leading AI technology, and Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems’ next generation VCSi ground control station software.

Shearwater’s Smart FlightTM software generates and dynamically adapts AI-optimized routes that make use of weather and terrain data in smarter ways. By finding tailwinds and updrafts, uncrewed aerial systems can reach their destination considerably faster and stay in the air loitering significantly longer.

“As the complexity and amount of real-time data grows, faster decision-making is essential. Smart Flight has the unique ability to generate faster, more efficient flight routes in an automated manner, turning any operator into an expert planner,” said Michael Baker, General Manager of Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems.

“VCSi is by far the most advanced and proven ground control software in the market today, so we are clearly pleased to be using it” said Spence Fraser, Founder and CEO of Landing Zones Canada. “By adding Shearwater’s Smart Flight AI optimization technology, we have an unparalleled navigation solution that places us in the forefront of uncrewed aerial technology today. We will be able to enhance the performance of our vehicle by simply leveraging the wind energy it finds itself operating in, an abundant energy resource that until today has gone untapped by RPAS.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems and Landing Zones Canada. The addition of our AI technology to this collaborative development effort is game changing and affords a large leap over anything available in the RPAS market today, with the potential to be utilized in many more applications,” commented Chad Armstrong, CEO of Shearwater Aerospace.

With a focus on enhanced route planning and flight endurance, one of the first priorities of this partnership will be to advance solutions for aerospace environmental challenges.