Shearwater Aerospace develops AI-powered autonomy software for uncrewed aerial systems. Its flagship product, the Smart Flight platform, provides weather-aware flight optimization and intelligent autonomy that plans missions and adapts them in real time, covering mission planning, readiness verification, in-flight optimization and dynamic risk response. The company says the software extends the range and endurance of fixed-wing UAVs while improving safety and reliability, and it is designed for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations.
The platform is built for integration rather than replacement: it works with industry-standard drone systems, including PX4 and Ardupilot autopilots. Technical work spans autonomous mission planning, real-time adaptation, weather-aware flight optimization, BVLOS operations and dynamic risk response. The company has conducted testing at the White Sands test ranges in the United States.
Shearwater positions the Smart Flight platform as dual-use, serving both commercial and defense customers. Its stated application areas include defense, public safety, wildfire monitoring, disaster response, environmental monitoring and commercial uncrewed aerial operations. The company takes its name from the shearwater seabird, which migrates roughly 64,000 kilometres a year - the longest recorded animal migration.
