Drones, Orbs, UAS: Whatever you call them, they're taking off on St. Paul Island.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: TRANSPORTATION SPECIAL SECTION - US Air Force's Agility Prime program, unmanned aircraft systems, Sabrewing Aircraft Co.

"Flying cars could rewrite how the Air Force and civil society do logistics and transportation," says Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics. It's an interesting position to take, as many feel one of the most egregious unfulfilled predictions of the '50s and '60s is that the near future (what we happily call "now") would feature skies cluttered with flying cars.

And while we are accustomed to the sight of helicopters and drones, they don't quite fit the vision of flying to the grocery store or jetting to the park.

Agility Prime, a US Air Force program, is just the thing that will "help usher the 'not yet' into the 'now,'" Roper says.

Agility Prime is a non-traditional program created to accelerate the commercial market for advanced mobility vehicles, which it collectively refers to as orbs. "These vehicles are not drones, helicopters, airplanes, cars, trucks, motorcycles, SUVs--and some would adamantly say they are not flying cars. However, they might support similar missions."

Agility Prime envisions these orbs will have "particular utility" in medical evacuations, firefighting operations, civil and military disaster relief, search and rescue missions, and humanitarian relief operations. The program was launched in May 2020 during Agility Prime week, a virtual gathering that included diverse speakers, breakout sessions, and networking.

Interest in expanding the role of aeronautic systems crosses industry and national borders. According to BIS Research in its Global Fixed-Wing VTOL Aircraft Market-Analysis and Forecast from 2018 to 2028 report, "The global fixed-wing VTOL [vertical takeoff and landing] aircraft market is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period 2018-2028 due to the rising demand across various end-users including commercial, military, and law enforcement... the global fixed-wing VTOL aircraft market generated $2,009.6 million in 2017 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 21.7 percent during 2018-2028."

What's super exciting about the aeronautics industry is that it's being developed, in part, right here in the Last Frontier. It only makes sense: nothing is more Alaskan than the need for affordable, small-scale transportation to remote areas that are difficult to access.

Alaska UAS

Alaska has been a proving ground for aeronautics for some time. While drone technology may have been born elsewhere, in Alaska its capabilities have been put to the test.

For example, in 2018 and 2019, NOAA Fisheries took advantage of industry partners with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and imaging technology expertise to re-conceive how to collect information that is essential for managing...