Volatus Aerospace secures approval for scalable BVLOS drone operations
Canada’s latest approval positions Volatus Aerospace to scale autonomous drone services using advanced detect-and-avoid technology
Volatus Aerospace has received approval from Transport Canada to expand its beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, paving the way for scalable automated drone services across the country.
The Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) authorizes Volatus to deploy MatrixSpace’s next-generation radar, integrated with Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS Terminal airspace awareness platform. Unlike traditional radar, MatrixSpace’s lightweight, low-power system can detect smaller, non-cooperative aircraft such as drones.
When combined with Kongsberg’s software and Volatus’ Remote-Operations Control Center, the system enables reliable detect-and-avoid capabilities – a key requirement for large-scale BVLOS operations. Applications include drone-in-a-box networks, wide-area monitoring, infrastructure security, utilities, industrial inspections, forestry, wildfire monitoring and environmental oversight.
The global drone-in-a-box market was valued at just over US$1 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach between $5 billion and $9 billion by the early 2030s, reflecting annual growth of around 20–23%.
Volatus already holds nationwide SFOCs permitting BVLOS operations in low-risk and atypical airspace, at high altitude, and at night. The new approval strengthens its ability to scale automated services into subscription-based deployments.
“This SFOC builds upon milestones such as Volatus’ approved BVLOS medical delivery operations at Halton Healthcare,” said Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace. “This combination makes it practical to move from specialized projects into wide-scale deployments like drone-in-a-box networks, giving customers safe, reliable, and scalable autonomous services.”
Kongsberg Geospatial President and Managing Director Jordan Freed added: “We’re pleased to support Volatus with our IRIS Terminal platform as they expand advanced BVLOS operations. By integrating real-time airspace awareness into their Operations Control Center, Volatus is demonstrating how safe and scalable drone services can be delivered for commercial customers.”
Volatus Aerospace recently partnered with RigiTech to boost medical drone delivery services.
Chloe Fox
Chloe Fox is an Editorial Assistant for Voyageur Group, joining in 2024. She writes for AirMed&Rescue and ITIJ, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision, and air medical transportation. Chloe holds a BA (Hons) in English and an MA in English Literature from the University of Bristol.