ANRA Technologies: Helping write History with UTM Services in North Texas
ANRA provided services for the very first commercial shared airspace flight in the United States on June 21, 2024, using production grade software for deconflicting Uncrewed Aircraft (UA) operations between Wing-Manna.
ANRA Technologies is proud to be at the forefront of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) revolution as a key participant in the North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation. This groundbreaking initiative is shaping the future of drone operations and airspace management in the United States and marks the first commercial deployment of production grade UA-to-UA strategic deconfliction, with ANRA providing services to Manna that successfully deconflicted operations with Wing.
THE BIRTH OF A UTM HUB
North Texas has rapidly emerged as a hotbed for scaled UAS services, particularly in the realm of drone delivery. As operations in this bustling airspace grew more complex in late 2023 and early 2024, the need for enhanced communication and coordination among drone operators became increasingly apparent. Building on the foundations laid by previous FAA and NASA projects, a group of forward-thinking operators came together to address this challenge.
This collaboration, known as the North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation, brought together seven operators, including DroneUp, Manna, Wing, and Zipline, with ANRA serving as a service provider for Manna, with the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and NASA as key engagement partners. The project aims to operationalize strategic coordination services, leveraging applicable standards and frameworks developed through years of research and testing.
REVOLUTIONIZING AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT
At its core, the North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation focuses on the digital coordination of intended UA flight paths among overlapping operators. This aligns with FAA Order 8040.6A and supports complex operations in shared airspace. The initiative implements strategic conflict detection and aggregate operational intent conformance monitoring services, as defined in the ASTM F3548-21 Standard Specification for UTM USS Interoperability.
North Texas participants were required to complete a series of onboarding gates, starting with qualification testing, followed by simulations, then production flights. ANRA as a service provider, successfully passed each gate that included automated testing that culminated with Manna validating overlapping airspace production flights.
ANRA TECHNOLOGIES: A CRUCIAL PLAYER IN THE UTM ECOSYSTEM
As the only non-vertically integrated service provider currently participating in North Texas, ANRA plays a pivotal role in the initiative. We provide UTM services to Manna, one of the participating drone delivery operators, showcasing our ability to satisfy key safety requirement for operations in a shared airspace environment.
Our involvement showcases how specialized UTM service providers can play a crucial role in enabling safe and efficient drone operations at scale and to more drone operators. There are ongoing efforts to include local public safety entities in the North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation, and ANRA is currently working with a police department to provide services so they too can be integrated into the shared airspace.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF BVLOS OPERATIONS
The FAA views the North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation, also known as the UTM Key Site Operational Evaluation, as part of the critical path to inform Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) rulemaking. The initiative aims to validate content, formats, and messaging in collaboration with industry, define performance metrics, and develop guidance material to support standard implementation. It also focuses on managing conflicting operations in accordance with UTM standards and business rules.
The services developed and tested are expected to be accepted by the FAA through the Near Term Approval Process (NTAP), with ANRA actively coordinating their NTAP submission with the FAA to obtain their Letter of Acceptance for services that support Manna being awarded a BVLOS waiver.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The North Texas Shared Airspace Implementation is poised for growth and evolution. With NASA coordinating the integration of local public safety organizations and the potential for expanding services based on industry needs, the initiative continues to push the boundaries of UTM capabilities.
One significant outcome has been the development of the UTM Service Provider and Data Sharing Governance agreement. This industry-led effort supports FAA Order 8040.6A and complex operations, providing a framework for future UTM implementations across the United States. We expect this effort will become the template for implementation nationally.
JOIN THE PROCESS
Commercial drone companies and operators interested in participating in this groundbreaking initiative are encouraged to join the shared airspace ecosystem. Participation enables collaboration, communication, and governance of shared airspace, aiming to integrate strategic coordination services to enable dense, overlapping BVLOS operations.
Those interested in learning more or joining the initiative can find relevant documents, including onboarding instructions, service and governance agreements, and requirements traceability, at the project’s GitHub repository at https://github.com/utmimplementationus/getstarted.
ANRA Technologies is honored to be a key player in the North Texas deployment. Our participation underscores our commitment since 2015 to advancing safe, efficient, and scalable drone operations. As we continue to work alongside our partners in this exciting initiative, we look forward to shaping the future of airspace management and unlocking the full potential of unmanned aviation in the United States and beyond. The future of drone operations is being written in the skies above North Texas, and ANRA is proud to be a co-author.
