A new FAA aircraft-agnostic waiver lets Frontier Precision fly any NDAA-compliant drone under 55 pounds across more than 5,000 square miles of Vantis-managed airspace.
Vantis, North Dakota’s beyond-visual-line-of-sight system, has onboarded Frontier Precision as its second champion operator. Frontier Precision secured a new FAA waiver that expands BVLOS operations through the four established Vantis service volumes.
The waiver is aircraft-agnostic for systems under 55 pounds. Frontier Precision can fly any NDAA-compliant aircraft inside the Vantis volumes, which together cover more than 5,000 square miles of managed airspace. The approach moves past traditional waivers tied to a single platform.
Vantis BVLOS Waiver Cuts Approval Timelines
“This waiver is another strong example of what Vantis was built to do, to help operators move beyond limited visual line of sight operations and into scalable, real-world BVLOS missions,” said Hunter Hegel, Operations Manager at Northern Plains UAS Test Site. “By combining advanced surveillance, real-time situational awareness, and regulatory expertise, Vantis is helping operators unlock the next generation of unmanned operations faster and more safely.”
“The waiver also reflects the maturity of the Vantis system and the work we’ve done with our champion operators,” Hegel added. “By using Vantis infrastructure, we’ve reduced approval timelines from years to just 23 business days.”
Scaling Vantis BVLOS for Industry Use
“Efficiency is the name of the game. To truly unlock the potential of ‘big data’ in sectors like oil and gas, utilities, and agriculture, we must move beyond the limitations of visual line of sight,” said Collin Kemmesat, Regional Sales Manager at Frontier Precision. “This waiver allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible, providing our customers with real-world data and more efficient inspection and system capabilities.”
Upcoming work will onboard Group 3 VTOL aircraft up to 1,320 pounds for long-endurance missions and advance autonomous swarm operations for agriculture. Vantis Fly Day on May 28 at Gorman Field will showcase live BVLOS demonstrations, NDAA-compliant aircraft, sensors, and Frontier Precision’s mobile command trailer.
More information is available at Vantis, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, and Frontier Precision.
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Ian McNabb is a journalist focusing on drone technology and lifestyle content at Dronelife. He is based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys hiking and Boston area sports.
