Elsight cracks Japanese market: ACSL chooses Halo system as communications platform for its Japanese logistics drones
- Japan’s largest drone maker and logistics company, ACSL, says Halo strengthens LTE communications connectivity
- Halo enables flights in previously difficult to reach remote locations
- ASCL’s decision opens new market for autonomous drones to gain beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities with Halo
ASX-listed Elsight Ltd’s (ASX:ELS) Halo platform has been chosen to provide communications connectivity for drones operated by Japan’s largest drone maker and logistics company ACSL Co Ltd to facilitate long-range beyond the visual line (BVLOS) of sight operations.
The use of the Halo communications platform, recognised as the industry leader in connectivity, will improve LTE communications in mountainous and remote islands where there is high demand for drones in the Japanese logistics sector and represents a breakthrough for Elsight in the Japanese market.
This corporation is highly strategic for Elsight given that ACSL is Japan’s largest drone maker that in April 2024 became also the first drone manufacturer to be approved as a full member of the Japan Defense Equipment Industry Association.
The Halo modules were provided to ACSL by Elsight’s Japanese partner Navicom Aviation Co Ltd, a Tokyo-based company that has developed a mapping system for the Japanese aviation market based on Iridium satellite communications.
Elsight Chief Executive Officer Yoav Amitai said Elsight was very excited to be working with ACSL and Navicom Aviation.
“This opens another promising market for drones and other autonomous systems to gain beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities with our Halo solution,’’ Mr Amitai said.
With the introduction of Halo ACSL will be able to significantly improve LTE communication connectivity and, by making LTE communications from multiple telecommunications companies redundant, enable flights in areas that were previously difficult to reach with a single LTE communication.
Halo is a patented platform designed specifically for drone flights beyond the visual line of sight, capable of integrating LTE, 5G, and satellite communications and is being adopted in the latest drone products in Europe, the United States, Australia and other regions.
Elsight’s market breakthrough in Japan comes after the company earlier this month announced a strategic collaboration with Lockheed Martin for the Halo system to be integrated into Lockheed Martin’s Indago 4 Uncrewed Aerial System.
The Lockheed Martin and ACSL decisions to integrate Halo into their drones have the potential to produce a material increase in Elsight’s sales of the Halo system.
Last September Halo was onboard the first-of-its-kind drones to achieve a full United States Federal Aviation Administration Type Certificate for BVLOS data collection flights which allows Airbotics to fly above US cities without the need to seek a case-by-case waiver.
Mr Amitai said: “Our Halo is suitable for all applications in the various vertical markets and integrates seamlessly with most unmanned aerial vehicles models used commercially.
“The significant improvements and cost savings are the true drivers of this industry while the Elsight Halo is the enabler, by making non-line of sight missions possible,’’ Mr Amitai said.
ACSL Chief Executive Officer Satoshi Washitani said the company had been promoting the expansion of drone use in Japan in various fields including obtaining the first type certificate and achieving Level 4 flight approval (which allows unassisted beyond visual line of sight flight in populated areas) in March 2023.
“We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with a partner with innovative technology to ensure the stability of the communication environment, which is one of the most important issues in the logistics field,’’ he said.
“Elsight’s products have a track record of being adopted in logistics drones in various countries, and we believe that by improving the quality of our logistics drones, we can expand the areas where drones can be used and contribute to promoting the social implementation of drones in the logistics field in Japan.’’
About Elsight www.elsight.com
Elsight (ASX:ELS) delivers connection confidence with proprietary bonding connectivity that incorporates both software and hardware elements to deliver reliable, secure, high bandwidth communications – even in the most challenging areas for stationary, portable, or actively mobile situational requirements. Elsight provides robust, secured connectivity to unmanned aerial and ground systems manufacturers, operators, and integrators globally.
About ACSL Inc. https://www.acsl.co.jp/
ACSL is developing domestic industrial drones to realise labour-saving and automation of existing industrial operations, and in particular, it provides cutting-edge autonomous control technology equipped with image processing and AI edge computing technology, as well as industrial drones equipped with the same technology. These drones have already been adopted in a variety of fields, including infrastructure inspection, postal and logistics, and disaster prevention.
About Navicom Aviation Co Ltd
Navicom Aviation has developed a mapping system for the Japanese aviation market and is expanding into the Asian region. The mapping system, based on Iridium satellite communications, is used by government agencies that play a central role in the country. The National Police Agency, the Fire and Aviation Corps, the Self-Defense Forces, other private businesses, and private airlines are the main customers.
