Could ARROW patent offer insights into future of U.S. BVLOS drone operations?

President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order demanding rapid regulatory modernization for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations is not the only development for BVLOS drone flights in the U.S. Enter the ARROW patent, recently awarded to UK-based Altitude Angel.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office this month awarded a patent to Altitude Angel for its ground-based detect and avoid (DAA) technology called ARROW. That’s the same technology already behind the UK’s first drone superhighway, which the UK green-lit way back in 2021.

With the ARROW patent, what’s been a breakthrough across the Atlantic might offer the U.S. a roadmap forward. Consider it a sign of not just growing international interest in drone corridor infrastructure, but also a glimpse of how the U.S. might finally overcome its BVLOS bottleneck.

What is the ARROW system?

Altitude Angel’s ARROW system is a system of ground-based sensors — RF detectors and high-resolution cameras — placed in specific areas to monitor airspace. That’s in contrast to many U.S.-based BVLOS test programs, which often depend on costly onboard sensors. (Or, if not truly approved for BVLOS flights, remaining compliant via human visual observers stationed along the route.)

(Image courtesy of Altitude Angel)

The company’s sensors then send their data to Altitude Angel’s air traffic software, which synthesizes the data into a high-fidelity, real-time picture of surrounding airspace. This model enables drones to fly without having to carry additional hardware, which Altitude Angel claims dramatically lowers the cost of BVLOS operations.

The system also supports a “Separation-as-a-Service” framework, meaning drone operators can tap into the network to navigate shared airspace safely with traditional airspace users like private pilots or paragliders.

Why the U.S. ARROW patent matters now

The timing of Altitude Angel’s U.S. ARROW patent is no coincidence. It arrives as the American drone industry is at a critical inflection point. Trump’s June 2025 Executive Order calls for the FAA to take swift action to enable commercial BVLOS operations nationwide — a call that echoes long-standing demands from delivery companies, public safety agencies and agriculture tech firms.

But to meet this challenge, the U.S. needs scalable, cost-effective solutions that work across varied terrain and use cases. ARROW’s ground-based, modular approach could be one of those. If anything, the newly issued patent opens the door for U.S. companies or local governments to license and deploy the technology domestically without having to reinvent the wheel.

This could be particularly meaningful in rural states, where BVLOS operations could vastly improve logistics and emergency response, but where the cost of outfitting every drone with onboard DAA systems is prohibitive.

Lessons from the UK’s Project Skyway

The ARROW technology as the backbone of Project Skyway, the UK’s ambitious national drone corridor initiative. The project, which concluded in early 2025, connected cities like Reading, Oxford, and Coventry with a 265-kilometer air corridor specifically designed for autonomous drones.

Skyway showed that multiple operators can safely share airspace when guided by a centralized DAA and traffic management system. Where the FAA has relied on one-off BVLOS waivers and pilot projects, the UK’s version embraced standardization and publicly backed infrastructure. That approach not only simplifies compliance, but invited investment.

Final thought: A blueprint waiting to be used

The U.S. doesn’t need to build a BVLOS framework from scratch. With the ARROW system now patented here — and its performance in the UK as a clear precedent — the technology exists, and the political will may finally be catching up. The only missing piece is coordinated deployment.

Whether the U.S. seizes this moment will determine not just who leads the drone economy, but how drones integrate into our shared skies. With the ARROW patent coming on the heals of Trump’s Executive Order, Altitude Angel might have arrived at exactly the right time.

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