El Segundo, California-based aviation automation startup Skyryse has raised more than $300 million in Series C investment, pushing its valuation into unicorn territory at $1.15 billion.
The round, announced Tuesday and led by Autopilot Ventures, is a multimillion-dollar boost for the startup as it nears the end of the lengthy Federal Aviation Administration certification process for its flight control system. The capital will also be used to integrate the company’s operating system, known as SkyOS, into a number of aircraft, including the U.S. military’s Black Hawk helicopters.
Other investors in this round include Fidelity Management & Research Company, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management LP, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management, and Woodline Partners. Founded in 2016, the startup has raised more than $605 million in equity capital.
Skyryse is partnering with investors as well as the U.S. military, emergency medical services operators, law enforcement agencies, and commercial operators for a simplified flight system. The startup has removed dozens of mechanical flight controls, such as instruments and switches, and replaced them with a system that includes multiple flight computers that automate the more complex and dangerous aspects of flight.
This is not a completely autonomous system. The pilot still has to perform the maneuvers. But it is designed to automate the most difficult aspects of flying, improve pilot skills, and improve safety.
The simplicity and ease of operation, literally a swipe of a finger on a touchscreen, has attracted companies such as United Rotorcraft, Air Methods, and Mitsubishi Corporation, which have signed deals with Skyryse to integrate SkyOS into a variety of helicopters and airplanes.
Skyryse began building and testing the system on helicopters, one of the most unstable aircraft in operation. But the idea is that SkyOS can be applied to any aircraft. Its initial operating system, known as Skyryse One, automates takeoff and landing, and fully automates hovering and engine-stop emergency landings. Since then, the company has integrated the operating system into its Black Hawk helicopters.
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Skyryse has made progress in the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration. Last year, the FAA granted final design approval for the company’s SkyOS flight control computer. Skyryse must complete formal flight testing and validation to receive full certification.
