Deseret UAS to showcase technologies at AUVSI Xponential

Deseret UAS unveils premier test facilities and technologies from Utah-based companies.

Deseret UAS will be exhibiting at AUVSI Xponential, offering commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/urban air mobility (UAM) flight test facilities.

Deseret UAS headquarters is located at the Xperience Center in Tooele City. (Photo: Deseret UAS)

Deseret UAS offers access to wide-open land and airspace, as well as the necessary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorizations for large commercial UAVs and UAM aircraft.

The organization’s commercial flight test amenities include a 4,500-foot paved runway with a covered airplane hangar, mobile test units, certified Part 107 pilots, data analytics, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) test capabilities and state-of-the-art training facilities.

“We encourage all Xponential attendees to visit our booth and see firsthand the cutting-edge technologies being developed right here in Utah,” said Deseret UAS Board Chair Shawn Milne. “The unique assets we offer at an affordable cost have been a game-changer for companies seeking to operationalize their technologies.”

The Utah Pavilion will also have Utah-based companies exhibiting their prototypes that have the potential to revolutionize mobility, safety, and security.

Founded in 2017, ElectraFly is an aviation company building a hybrid-electric personal flying vehicle. It aims to increase lift capacity and flight times for vertical take-off and landing aircraft and is positioned between a personal jetpack and a large, helicopter-like air taxi.

The ElectraFly prototype is being built to carry a rider — something ideal for first responders or military special forces. Other versions will be scaled for air taxi or search and rescue, and smaller versions will be ideal for shipping and package delivery.

“There is an undeniable change happening in air transportation but there are problems in efficiency,” said John Manning, ElectraFly co-founder and director of development. “So many people, especially as children, dream about flying. We’re developing innovations to make the dream of personal flight a reality and to shape the future of urban air mobility.”

Fortem Technologies is an innovator in airspace safety and security. Fortem’s AI-enabled SkyDome software and TrueView radar digitize airspace, making it possible to ensure safe urban corridors and to protect infrastructure, venues, borders and cities against rogue drones. This digitization can make drone package delivery and the safe transport of people a reality.

“Safe air mobility of unmanned drones flying beyond visual line of sight is achievable,” said Fortem CEO Timothy Bean. “Fortem Technologies makes this possible by digitizing the airspace so that cooperative and non-cooperative air traffic can be differentiated, assessed for threats, and managed for safety of our airways.”

Also exhibiting at the Utah Pavilion will be officials from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCU). GOED and EDCU will be available to answer questions about economic development opportunities in the state.

“Utah has always been at the forefront of technological innovations that improve lives and the state’s investment in Deseret UAS is evidence of that,” said Ginger Chinn, managing director of Urban and Rural Business Services for the Utah’s Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We whole-heartedly embrace unmanned aircraft technologies and are proactively developing a plan to build the aerial infrastructure needed for these innovations to flourish.”