Volatus Aerospace Inc. has announced that Transport Canada has issued a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) authorizing Volatus to conduct more complex Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations by authorizing the use of MatrixSpace’s next-generation radar, integrated through Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS Terminal platform.
Unlike traditional ground-based radar systems, MatrixSpace’s technology is compact, low-power, and able to detect smaller non-cooperative traffic such as other drones. When integrated with Kongsberg’s proven airspace awareness and traffic management software, and supported by Volatus’ remote Operations Control Center, these capabilities make it practical to scale BVLOS operations into applications such as automated drone-in-a-box networks, distributed wide-area monitoring, and autonomous services where continuous, reliable detect-and-avoid is critical.
The global drone-in-a-box market was valued at just over US$1 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow to between US$5 and US$9 billion by the early 2030s, reflecting annual growth rates of ~20–23%. 1 This rapid expansion underscores the commercial potential for scalable, subscription-based drone services such as those enabled by this new approval.
Volatus already holds nationwide SFOCs permitting BVLOS operations in low-risk airspace, atypical airspace, high altitude, and nighttime missions at an advanced regulatory risk level recognized by Transport Canada. Building on this foundation, the integration will expand automated drone-in-a-box services for infrastructure security, utilities, and industrial monitoring, as well as wide-area inspection and surveillance at higher altitudes, such as forestry, wildfire monitoring, and environmental oversight.
“This SFOC builds upon milestones such as Volatus’ approved BVLOS medical delivery operations at Halton Healthcare,” began Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace. “With our partners, we are expanding these capabilities by integrating a lightweight and scalable detect and avoid system. 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.”
“We’re pleased to support Volatus with our IRIS Terminal platform as they expand advanced BVLOS operations,” said Jordan Freed, President and Managing Director, Kongsberg Geospatial. “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.”
“This approval represents a major step toward scalable autonomous drone operations,” said Greg Waters, Co-founder & CEO, MatrixSpace. “Our compact radar technology is designed for exactly these kinds of applications, and Volatus is leading the way in bringing drone-in-a-box and automated services to the Canadian market.”
