Gainesville, FL – September 30th, 2014 – The St. Louis District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently accepted delivery of its Altavian Nova™ F6500 Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) accompanied by the Nova GC25 ground control station, the Nova MP21 mapping payload, and the Nova VP23 video payload. The delivery took place after successful acceptance testing at a USACE-owned location near St. Augustine, Florida under an FAA approved Certificate of Authorization (COA).
USACE St. Louis acquired the Nova F6500 to allow them to perform both photogrammetric mapping and real-time reconnaissance of flooding events. The two payloads (MP21 and the VP23) are easily interchangeable allowing operators to switch the payloads in situ supporting their ability to quickly adapt to the demands of the mission. “Our systems are designed and built for engineering-grade mapping, while also being able to meet the demands of emergency responders,” said John Perry, CEO of Altavian. “We are honored to deliver our system to the Center of Expertise for Photogrammetric Mapping for the Army Corps of Engineers, as their selection of Altavian as their photogrammetric UAS supplier is truly a testament to the quality of our design and engineering of our systems.”
Altavian’s aircraft continue to have the most UAS-based photogrammetric missions under COAs in the US, with 14 active COAs approved for a variety of Federal, State and Local agencies in the U.S. Altavian’s solutions are more cost effective, safer, easier and more precise than conventional remote sensing methods like manned aircraft, satellites or helicopters, making its unmanned systems an ideal candidate for the St. Louis USACE.
The St. Louis District team of operators obtained Altavian OEM Manufacturer Certification for the safe operations of the Nova™ F6500 system by completing a six week training course offered through Sinclair College.
About Altavian
Altavian manufactures small unmanned aerial systems designed for high quality geospatial data collection while providing exceptional services and support. Altavian is a small business Prime contractor on two IDIQs with the Army, a $5M IDIQ with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as holding a $248M IDIQ with the Army’s sUAS Program Office. Altavian’s Nova™ family of systems is designed and manufactured at its facility in Gainesville, FL and its aircraft are currently in operation with the Army Corp of Engineers as well as other public entities around the country. Altavian is a Sustaining Member of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), a member of the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Learn more at altavian.com.