Last month, ParaZero Drone Safety Solutions partnered with Parallel Flight Technologies to integrate customized parachute safety systems with a heavy-lift, long-endurance UAV.

Designed for Drone Delivery, BVLOS flights, and operations over people, ParaZero’s parachute safety system, SafeAir, helps customers achieve advanced use case approvals. Equipped with integrated sensors that continuously monitor and analyze the drone’s flight patterns to identify any indications of a critical failure, the SafeAir system mitigates flight risks autonomously. When triggered, the SmartAir Pro, ParaZero’s onboard computer, responds with an instantaneous activation of the SafeAir system. The system cuts power to the drone, alerts people on the ground with an audible alarm, and deploys a lightweight parachute, bringing the drone to the ground in a safe, controlled descent.

Since 2019, 125 US organizations have secured FAA operational waivers for operations over people using drones fitted with ParaZero’s SafeAir system parachute technology. Certified with ASTM F3322-18 UAS Parachute Standard, ParaZero claims the SafeAir system to be “effective and reliable in all failure scenarios”, providing an “extremely effective ground risk mitigation” and “very low minimum safe altitude."

Combining extreme heavy lifting and long flight duration, the Firefly uses Proprietary Parallel Hybrid Electric Multirotor (PHEM) drone technology to carry a 45 kg payload (not including fuel) for up to 100 minutes. To open up new possibilities for precision agriculture, medical and disaster logistics, search-and-rescue, firefighting, and heavy sensor applications, the drone features 10x longer endurance and range over electric drones. It is also a fully redundant system, meaning it can continue flying even in the event of an engine failure.

Committed to helping UAS manufacturers meet performance-based safety and regulatory requirements, ParaZero’s newest partnership also enables a broader array of advanced use cases and applications for Parallel Flight’s drones. As an ideal candidate for BVLOS flights and remote operations, the Firefly drone, together with ParaZero’s SafeAir parachute brings “one of the safest industrial heavy-lift drones to the market.”

“ParaZero’s safety systems are the preferred complement to Firefly’s built-in redundancies and safety features to mitigate ground risk and enable the regulatory permissions we need to operate,” said Parallel Flight CEO, Joshua Resnick. “This integration highlights Parallel Flight’s company-wide commitment to stringent safety and quality measures. Furthermore, this allows Firefly to stand ready in saving lives, property, and the environment, additionally creating value for industrial customers across the globe.”