Reliable Robotics Receives Air Force Autonomous Aircraft Development Grant

The Department of the Air Force has selected autonomous aircraft systems maker Reliable Robotics as a recipient of the 2024 AFWERX Tactical Funding Increase program, an initiative that aims to deliver needed innovative solutions to help achieve mission success.

The company’s selection comes after the follow-on Phase III Small Business Innovation Research contract, enabling it to continue supporting the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX in various efforts, including a military airworthiness approval for autonomous flight testing and operational missions of the Cessna 208 Caravan and demonstration of autonomous flight at Travis Air Force Base as part of the Golden Phoenix exercise, Reliable Robotics said.

David O’Brien, senior vice president of government solutions at Reliable, said that the selection will allow the company to continue advancing its autonomous flight system toward operational implementation.

The contractor has been working with AFRL since 2022 on designing, developing and testing autonomous aircraft capabilities on the service’s existing platforms.

Among the platforms it has recently converted to have autonomous capability are a Cessna 172 Skyhawk and a Cessna 208 Caravan cargo aircraft.