The Optimus Drone and Airbase in Urban Environment (Credit: Airobotics)

Israeli-based drone manufacturer Airobotics, (a subsidiary of Ondas Holdings) recently announced a $2.6 million order for additional Optimus drone systems from a local government entity in Dubai, UAE for public safety and emergency response operations. 

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by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

The Optimus system, which is based on a network of drones centrally operated from an urban command center and is designed to replace the role of a helicopter for law enforcement and first responders, has been active in the UAE for some time, including as a joint venture with UAE-based SkyGo in Abu Dhabi, but this larger acquisition deal highlights the potential of fleet-based first responder UAV solutions in urban areas. The system has already completed thousands of successful missions without human intervention in the challenging environmental conditions of the Middle East. 

The Optimus drone recently achieved an Airworthiness Type Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is the first small UAS (sUAS) developed for aerial security and data capture to receive a Type Certificate. While the technology is first being applied to the Public Safety and Security industry, future applications of the command-center based decentralized approach, which is built on individual, fully autonomous launch stations capable of routine preflight operations (like battery or sensor swaps) distributed around an urban area could include parcel delivery or other “smart city” operations. 

“We are proud to receive an additional order for Optimus Systems from our customer in Dubai,” said Meir Kliner, Airobotics’ CEO and President of the Ondas Autonomous Systems business unit. “We are working to grow our Optimus deployments in Dubai and fulfill the vision of a fully automated urban drone infrastructure for Public Safety and Emergency Response. Together with Ondas’ American Robotics, we are bringing these capabilities to the United States where we can leverage the Optimus drone FAA Type Certificate required to enable similar operations.”

More information on Airobotics and Ondas 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.

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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