At Aerial Cities 2025 in Dublin, the conversation among C-level executives was no longer about "if" uncrewed systems would integrate into urban environments, but "how" to ensure safety at a commercial scale. In an exclusive interview hosted by Richard Boden, Acting COO at Murzilli Consulting, and Thomas Jimenez, VP of Uncrewed Aerial Systems at uAvionix, the focus shifted toward the critical role of connected networks and Automated Data Service Providers (ADSPs) in unlocking the future of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations.

As a sponsor of Aerial Cities 2025, uAvionix stands at the intersection of traditional aviation safety and the rapid innovation of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector.

The criticality of connected networks in aviation safety

In the aviation ecosystem, connectivity is the bedrock of operational reliability. For years, the industry has operated in silos, but the 2026 landscape demands a "one connected picture."

Thomas Jimenez highlighted that uAvionix has spent nearly half a decade preparing for this shift.

"At uAvionix, we've spent about four years deploying a network of sensors which we call flight stations," - he said.

Unlike consumer-grade tracking, these FlightStation sensors are built in Montana under strict aviation standards to provide a unified surveillance layer.

Supporting the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI)

The most immediate proof of this technology's efficacy is its adoption by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). uAvionix provides the data backbone for the Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) and Airborne Position Reference Tools (APRT).

“Our biggest clients today for that data provided by those sensors is the FAA… those are then used in these cases for immediate traffic around towered, non-federally owned airports as well as for surface surveillance.” — said Thomas Jimenez

By repurposing this high-integrity data into the UAS space, uAvionix ensures that delivery companies and public safety departments have access to the same low-latency, high-availability data that the FAA utilizes for traditional air traffic management (ATM).

Enhancing situational awareness for shared airspace

A primary challenge for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is the coexistence of crewed and uncrewed aircraft in the same shared volume. Situational awareness is about the speed and format in which that data is delivered.

CAT21 API and Multi-Agency Integration

To achieve this, uAvionix leverages the ASTERIX CAT21 (Category 21) standard, a global surveillance data exchange format. This allows for a seamless flow of information from ground-based sensors to various user interfaces.

Thomas highlighted a real-world use case in Dallas, Texas, where the network provides low-latency data to local police departments. This data is "piped through a CAT 21 API straight to their choice of UI."

By providing this data stream, uAvionix creates a safety buffer between different aviation environments. The uncrewed aircraft's own situational awareness is augmented by the ground-based network, ensuring that the "own ship" is always aware of nearby cooperative traffic.

Navigating the FAA Part 108 framework and ADSP roles

The transition from waiver-based operations to routine commercial flights is the "Holy Grail" of the drone industry. The upcoming FAA Part 108 rule (and the subsequent Part 146) is set to revolutionize this by introducing the concept of the Automated Data Service Provider (ADSP).

From SDSP to ADSP: The path to automation

Traditionally referred to as a Surveillance Data Service Provider (SDSP), the new regulatory verbiage signals a shift toward total system automation. Thomas views this as a "very straight path" to scaling BVLOS drone opeartions.

“The automation portion there should allow the enablement of beyond visual line of sight operations at scale. What we play a part with traditionally it would be called an SDSP… the new verbiage would call it an ADSP.” -- Thomas Jimenez

The industry has been "hampered a lot" by the slow pace of waiver-based approvals. The Part 108 framework places automation at the core, moving toward a model where tactical deconfliction and conformance monitoring are handled by certified, automated systems rather than manual pilot intervention.

Certifiability as a competitive advantage

For stakeholders, the reliability of a service provider is measured by its path to certification. uAvionix is positioning itself to be at the front of the line. "We are very focused on making sure that as soon as this becomes a rule, we are the first ones in line to be certified as a company and the service to be approved," -- Thomas stated.

Scalable infrastructure: The move toward shared real estate

One of the most profound takeaways from the Aerial Cities 2025 interview was the critique of the current infrastructure model. For the AAM industry to achieve Return on Investment (ROI), the "every operator for themselves" approach must end.

The problem with proprietary infrastructure

Scaling fast requires a shift toward shared infrastructure. If every medical delivery company or utility inspector has to deploy their own proprietary sensors, the unit economics of the drone industry will remain untenable.

“I think that now that we're reaching a position of scale, and of trying to scale fast, [proprietary infrastructure] is untenable… Instead, we can have shared infrastructure deployed with best-in-class partners so that not every operator has to deploy infrastructure.” — Thomas Jimenez

Partnership models and the "marketplace" concept

The uAvionix strategy involves partnering with entities that already possess the physical real estate, such as electrical utilities, to host the FlightStation sensors. This creates a "data stack" that can be accessed by any operator in the region.

In this future marketplace:

  • The OEM/Operator focuses on the aircraft and the mission (e.g., medical goods delivery).
  • The Infrastructure Partner provides the physical location.
  • The ADSP provides the safety-critical data layer.

This collaborative model removes the capital expenditure (CAPEX) burden from the individual operator, allowing the industry to scale at the pace of software rather than the pace of hardware installation.

Bridging the gap in Urban Air Mobility

As Richard Boden and Thomas Jimenez discussed in Dublin, the technical building blocks for a connected, autonomous airspace are already in place. From the FAA's SAI program to the Part 108 framework, the focus has shifted to professional, certified, and shared solutions.

For the drone and AAM industry to mature, it must embrace the "one connected picture" that uAvionix is building, a network where data is a utility, safety is automated, and infrastructure is shared.

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