Skyryse lands another $300M to make flying simple and safe, even helicopters


In sectionsan aviation automation startup based in El Segundo, California, has raised more than $300 million in a Series C investment, pushing its valuation to $1.15 billion and into unicorn territory.

The round, announced Tuesday and led by Autopilot Ventures, provides a multimillion-dollar accelerant for the startup as it nears the end of a lengthy Federal Aviation Administration certification process for its flight control system. The capital will also be used to integrate its operating system, known as SkyOS, into several aircraft, including the US military’s Black Hawk helicopter.

Other investors in this round include Fidelity Management & Research Company, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management LP, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management, and Woodline Partners. The startup, founded in 2016, has raised more than $605 million in equity capital.

Image Credits:In sections

Skyryse has partnered with investors as well as the US military, emergency medical service operators, law enforcement, and private operators for its simplified flight system. The startup has removed many mechanical flight controls such as gauges and switches and replaced them with a system with multiple flight computers that automate the more complex and dangerous aspects of flight.

It is not a fully autonomous system; a pilot must still direct operations. But it is designed to automate the most difficult aspects of flying, improve pilots’ skills, and improve safety.

That simplicity and ease of operation — a literal one finger swipe on the touchscreen – won over companies like United Rotorcraft, Air Methods, and Mitsubishi Corporation, with Skyryse contracts to integrate SkyOS into various helicopters and airplanes.

Skyryse began building and testing its system on helicopters, one of the most unstable aircraft available. But the idea is that SkyOS can be used on any plane. That initial operating system, known as Skyryse One, automated takeoff and landing and fully automated hover and engine-out emergency landings. The company has since integrated the operating system into Black Hawk helicopters.

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Skyryse is making progress in its certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration. Last year, the FAA gave final design approval for the company’s SkyOS flight control computers. Skyryse must now complete formal flight testing and verification to achieve full certification.



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