IDEX 2023: EDGE makes major strategic investment in unmanned air traffic management provider High Lander.

High Lander’s Universal UTM, a next-generation unmanned traffic management solution, enables the safe coexistence of manned and unmanned aviation and is key to EDGE’s focus on safe autonomous operations.
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EDGE has announced a strategic investment in High Lander, the company behind Universal UTM, a drone-agnostic unmanned traffic management solution that provides the automation, coordination, and safety much needed in increasingly crowded skies (Picture source:  Army Recognition)

UAE’s EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, has announced a strategic investment in High Lander, the company behind Universal UTM, a drone-agnostic unmanned traffic management solution that provides the automation, coordination, and safety much needed in increasingly crowded skies. The US$14 million investment creates a ground-breaking partnership and is already forging ongoing deals and high-value opportunities in both the military and civilian domains between some of the world’s biggest technology providers, as both companies progress along their respective roadmaps.

His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of the Board of EDGE, said: “As EDGE grows rapidly, and with our focus increasingly being directed to the development of world-leading autonomous aerospace solutions, the need for a superior and readily available air traffic management platform could not be more urgent. Today’s operating environments require the most advanced unmanned air traffic control systems, and High Lander provides the only truly universal solution for this critical requirement. Our investment in High Lander as a major shareholder is logical for EDGE, and mutually beneficial and opportune for both companies, allowing us to grow and perfect these solutions further together, in both the military and civilian domains.”

As part of its international growth strategy, EDGE, which comprises an impressive portfolio of 20 complementary companies, is placing a clear focus on the development of autonomous systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), smart weapons, and cyber technologies. The group is keen to further assist High Lander in developing its next-generation Universal UTM solution, which enables the safe coexistence of manned and unmanned aviation. EDGE aims to utilise Universal UTM in the management of autonomous operations.

Alon Abelson, co-founder and CEO of High Lander, commented: “We are excited about the strategic partnership with EDGE because it strengthens High Lander's position as a market leader in drone fleet management and UTM spaces as we begin to scale globally. High Lander and EDGE have a mutual goal of creating the most technologically advanced airspace automation systems possible, and we look forward to working with EDGE for many years to come.”

High Lander's Universal UTM oversees the busiest airspaces, enabling multiple, simultaneous drone operations. From pre-flight authorisation to mid-mission changes and post-flight logs, Universal UTM enables efficient management of all aspects of airspace control.

Mansour AlMulla, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, added: “High Lander is a growing tech company with huge potential, operating with a startup mindset yet drawing from decades of experience in the aviation sector. This, coupled with the highest levels of innovation, has allowed it to create an opportunity in the autonomous air traffic sector, a sector which is in pressing need of transformation. This is a win-win partnership. High Lander will benefit from EDGE’s offerings of integrated systems and solutions, and we in turn will adapt High Lander’s world-leading UTM platform to further advance our autonomous capabilities.”

Ido Yahalomi, co-founder and CTO of High Lander, concluded: “This is a hugely significant partnership that gives High Lander the resources necessary to advance our technology and platform on a much wider scale, positioning us at the forefront of the C2 and UTM sectors relating to drones. EDGE is a world leader in aerospace technology, and the fact that we've been selected for this investment is a testament to the quality of our product."

Army Recognition flying a drone some 3,000 miles away from Abu Dhabi with High Lander's Universal UTM (Picture source:  Army Recognition)