OKLAHOMA CITY — Vigilant Aerospace Systems in Oklahoma City OK has launched FlightHorizon ALERT. The managed airspace monitoring service helps general aviation airports and other facilities keep track of nearby aircraft and drones.
The system detects both types of traffic from a single unit and displays activity on a web-based 3D map. Vigilant designed the service for smaller airports, critical infrastructure sites, and other facilities that want a better view of nearby airspace without having someone constantly watch a screen.
One system tracks aircraft and drones
FlightHorizon ALERT monitors two types of signals. It receives Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transmissions from equipped aircraft and Remote ID broadcasts from drones.
Operators can use the system to watch low-altitude airspace around industrial sites, campuses, and other sensitive areas. Users don't have to keep the map open all day. If the system detects traffic that triggers an alert, it automatically sends a text message or email.
Replay gives operators a record
Each alert includes a secure link that lets users go back and replay the event on the 3D map. The replay shows where the aircraft or drone entered the alert zone, how fast it was moving, and where it went. Users can also view identification information when the aircraft or drone broadcasts it.
That gives personnel something concrete to review after an event instead of relying only on what someone saw at the time. The system also keeps traffic logs for later reporting and analysis.
FlightHorizon ALERT builds on Vigilant's broader FlightHorizon airspace management technology. The company has deployed that technology at Infinity One Spaceport in western Oklahoma and Gorman Field in Grand Forks, N.D. Vigilant also developed software used by the system through work for the U.S. Air Force and licenses two NASA patents.
Setup is designed to stay simple
Vigilant offers FlightHorizon ALERT as a subscription service that includes the hardware and software needed to monitor a site. The company configures the outdoor unit and antennas for each location before shipping them. Once users mount the equipment and connect it to power and the internet, they can access nearby traffic through the web application.
Sites without an easy internet connection can use cellular or Starlink connectivity. Larger facilities can install multiple units to cover more area, with data from each one feeding into the same account.
Vigilant manages the service through its central data center and monitors the software remotely. For airport installations, the company also helps customers complete the FAA form required for the antennas.
"Many airports and facilities need better low-altitude airspace awareness, but they do not need another complex system that requires constant monitoring," said Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace Systems. "FlightHorizon ALERT is designed to make aircraft and drone activity easier to detect, track and analyze with a managed service that can be deployed quickly."
