Reliable Robotics, established by former SpaceX flight software lead Robert Rose, has recently completed a $160 million funding round, bringing its valuation close to $1 billion. The round was led by Nimble Partners, with participation from RTX Ventures and other institutions. This brings the company's total funding to $300 million.
Reliable Robotics is developing a full-phase autonomous flight system that can be retrofitted onto existing aircraft, enabling fully autonomous operations including taxiing, takeoff, cruising, approach, and landing. Ground operators only need to monitor remotely and can intervene at any time. In November 2023, the company successfully completed a 12-minute unmanned flight of a Cessna 208B Caravan, marking the first FAA-approved large cargo drone flight in U.S. history.
CEO Robert Rose stated that the new funds will be used to submit a "mountain of evidence" to the Federal Aviation Administration to secure the first commercial unmanned cargo certification. Reliable plans to obtain its type certificate by 2028, and has already received orders for over 200 autonomous systems from commercial and military customers.
While awaiting full certification, Reliable continues to advance. Through a partnership with the city of Albuquerque, the company has been selected for the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. It plans to launch autonomous cargo routes this summer between Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Durango via its Part 135 subsidiary, Reliable Airlines.
The U.S. Department of Defense has recognized the unmanned system as militarily airworthy. In October last year, Reliable secured a $17.4 million contract with the U.S. Air Force. Flight demonstrations are set to begin this year, with eventual deployment to the Indo-Pacific region for logistics missions. From commercial freight to military logistics, Reliable Robotics is steadily turning the vision of unmanned flight into reality.
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