Volatus Aerospace Gains Key Regulatory Approval for Advanced BVLOS Drone Operations in Canada, Marking Major Industry Breakthrough
Volatus Aerospace has achieved a major regulatory milestone in Canada’s rapidly evolving drone industry, receiving formal approval from Transport Canada to conduct advanced Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. This approval marks a pivotal step in the company’s strategy to enable scalable, autonomous drone services across the country, opening new doors for commercial applications such as remote surveillance, wide-area monitoring, medical delivery, and drone-in-a-box deployment networks.
The approval comes through a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), a rigorous certification process that few Canadian drone operators have successfully completed for this level of BVLOS activity. What sets Volatus apart is not only the regulatory green light but the integration of cutting-edge technology—most notably, the MatrixSpace compact radar system paired with Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS Terminal software platform.
Together, these systems create a portable, scalable, and automated detect-and-avoid (DAA) solution designed to meet both current and future safety standards for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
Enabling a New Era of Scalable Drone Operations
In traditional drone operations, visual line-of-sight requirements have long limited the scope and scale of unmanned flights. Operators were required to maintain direct visual contact with the drone, restricting mission range, flight duration, and commercial viability for many use cases. However, BVLOS capabilities allow drones to fly autonomously over long distances without the operator physically watching them—significantly increasing the efficiency and value proposition of drone services.
This is particularly important in Canada, a country characterized by vast and often remote terrain, where drones can fill operational gaps in logistics, infrastructure inspection, environmental monitoring, and emergency response.
Volatus’ newly approved BVLOS operations leverage a modular detect-and-avoid architecture, made possible by the fusion of MatrixSpace radar and Kongsberg’s airspace awareness tools. This combination, the company says, is what makes large-scale, repeatable, and safe autonomous drone operations a practical reality.
Next-Generation Technology: MatrixSpace Radar and IRIS Terminal
The core technological advancement behind this approval lies in the seamless integration of two best-in-class systems.
MatrixSpace Radar:
Unlike traditional, ground-based radar systems, MatrixSpace’s radar is lightweight, portable, and energy-efficient—features that are essential for drone-mounted or mobile DAA systems. Critically, it is also capable of detecting non-cooperative air traffic—aircraft or drones that do not transmit standard transponder signals and are therefore invisible to conventional airspace monitoring systems.
This is a game-changer for BVLOS operations, where awareness of all airborne activity in the operating zone is a safety imperative.
Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS Terminal:
The IRIS Terminal platform provides real-time airspace visualization, combining radar data with geospatial intelligence and mission telemetry. Its situational awareness and UAS traffic management (UTM) capabilities allow operators to monitor multiple drones simultaneously and respond quickly to unexpected events, all while adhering to aviation safety regulations.
When monitored and coordinated through Volatus’ centralized Operations Control Centre, this technology ecosystem supports automated drone missions at scale—whether for emergency medical deliveries, persistent surveillance, or large-scale inspections of critical infrastructure like pipelines, rail lines, and power grids.
Strategic Implications: Unlocking the Future of “Drone-as-a-Service”
The SFOC approval significantly enhances Volatus Aerospace’s value proposition in a rapidly growing sector. With the rise of “drone-in-a-box” solutions—autonomous systems where drones launch, land, recharge, and transmit data with little to no human intervention—BVLOS capabilities are essential for wide deployment.
Volatus CEO Glen Lynch emphasized this shift in the company’s statement:
“This SFOC builds upon milestones such as Volatus’ approved BVLOS medical delivery operations at Halton Healthcare. With our partners, we are expanding our capabilities by integrating a lightweight and scalable detect-and-avoid system,” he said.
“This combination makes it practical to move from specialised projects into wide-scale deployments like drone-in-a-box networks, giving customers safe, reliable, and scalable autonomous services.”
Indeed, the timing of this announcement could not be more aligned with market trends.
Market Growth: Drone-in-a-Box and Recurring Revenue Opportunities
According to industry forecasts, the global drone-in-a-box market is valued at over US$1 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow five- to nine-fold by the early 2030s. Annual growth rates are projected to range between 20% and 23%, driven by increasing demand for automation, aerial data collection, infrastructure inspection, and time-sensitive deliveries.
This model offers clear recurring revenue opportunities, as enterprise clients are increasingly looking for subscription-based drone services rather than managing their own fleets. The approval positions Volatus to lead in this space by offering plug-and-play autonomous systems for government agencies, critical infrastructure operators, public safety authorities, and commercial clients alike.
With the new SFOC, Volatus expands its ability to deliver these services with fewer operational constraints, while ensuring safety, compliance, and performance at enterprise-grade levels.
A Growing Regulatory Portfolio
Volatus Aerospace already holds multiple nationwide SFOCs, permitting various categories of BVLOS operations, including:
- Flights in low-risk and atypical airspace
- High-altitude drone operations
- Nighttime missions
- Emergency response support
The latest certification enhances this portfolio by enabling more complex and higher-value applications, such as:
- Distributed surveillance networks for border security or disaster response
- Wide-area monitoring for environmental or agricultural management
- Enterprise-scale logistics and delivery solutions in both urban and remote areas
In short, the company now has the regulatory, technological, and operational building blocks to support a truly national drone services infrastructure.
Policy, Safety, and the Need for Scalable Standards
Volatus’ latest milestone also reflects a broader shift in how Transport Canada and other regulators are approaching unmanned aviation. While the SFOC process remains rigorous, approvals for scalable BVLOS operations signal increased confidence in emerging detect-and-avoid technologies and centralized operational models.
However, as more companies move toward similar capabilities, there will be increasing pressure on regulators to establish standard frameworks for automated and BVLOS drone operations—especially as cross-border operations and airspace integration with crewed aircraft become more prevalent.
In this context, Volatus’ collaborative approach—working closely with key technology partners and regulatory authorities—sets an important precedent for others in the sector.
A Defining Moment for Canadian Drone Innovation
With its latest Transport Canada approval, Volatus Aerospace is not only expanding its operational capabilities—it is helping to define the future of commercial drone services in Canada and beyond. By integrating next-generation detect-and-avoid technology with proven airspace awareness software, and by pursuing a centralized, scalable operational model, Volatus has positioned itself as a frontrunner in a global race to unlock the full potential of BVLOS operations.
As drone technology matures and regulatory landscapes evolve, this milestone signals more than just permission to fly beyond the horizon—it marks the beginning of a new era of autonomous, intelligent, and commercially viable aerial services.