Terra Drone Corporation (Terra Drone), a leading drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology provider headquartered in Japan, has announced an investment in Aloft Technologies (Aloft), a company focusing on developing UTM, and a market leader in drone fleet and airspace management in the United States.
This investment makes Terra Drone the largest shareholder in Aloft, with Aloft becoming an affiliate company of Terra Drone. In addition, the board of directors of Aloft has appointed Yuki Ueno, Terra Drone’s executive officer in charge of domestic and international Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM) business, to the Aloft board.
This partnership also marks Terra Drone’s official entry into the US, which is considered the world’s largest market for drones and AAMs. Together with Aloft and Unifly, a Belgium-based UTM provider that became a Terra Drone subsidiary in July 2023, Terra Drone is positioned to contribute to the development of the UTM ecosystem on a global scale.
Toru Tokushige, Founder and CEO of Terra Drone, says, “We see a future where drones and AAMs become a part of our daily lives. The implementation and seamless operation of a UTM system are essential to make this dream a reality. We have been focusing on UTM technology since the dawn of drones, with our earliest investment in Unifly dating back to 2016. Now, as drones and AAMs move into a new phase of development, UTM has become a priority for aviation authorities around the world. By investing in Aloft and becoming its largest shareholder, we intend to further evolve UTM on a global level. We also plan to expand aggressively in the U.S., considered to be the largest market for drones and AAMs.”
“The integration of UTM systems is pivotal for the expansion, scalability, and sustainability of global drone operations,” stated Jon Hegranes, Founder and CEO of Aloft. “Our collaboration with Terra Drone positions us at the forefront of this evolution, offering us the unique opportunity to harmonize operational standards and leverage technology to enhance the efficiency and reach of drone flights on an international scale.”
Compared to Japan, there are approximately 2.4 times as many registered drones and 62 times as many registered manned aircraft in the U.S. (Figure 1). Additionally, a number of U.S. companies are developing and manufacturing drones and UAMs. In July 2023, the FAA released an implementation plan “Innovate 2028” providing the steps it and others will need to take to safely enable advanced air mobility operations in the near term.
