The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed an order to buy a helium-filled aerostat, allied airborne equipment and operator training in Jacksonville, Florida, US from Drone Aviation Holding (DAC).

In August, EPA awarded a contract to DAC for a customised winch system and related equipment under the agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) programme for emissions sampling using tethered aerostats.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Drone Aviation Holding chairman Jay Nussbaum said: "With this purchase by the EPA, we have further strengthened our relationship with this important government agency and continue to demonstrate the value of our tethered aerostat systems.

"Furthermore, we are providing operational training ensuring that the new systems are used safely and effectively in the NRMRL’s aerial missions."

"We are providing operational training ensuring that the new systems are used safely and effectively in the NRMRL’s aerial missions."

Since 2010, NRMRL has been conducting aerial sampling of emissions using tethered aerostats, which carries gas and particle sampling instruments to an altitude of up to 400ft to capture emissions from various sources, including waste fires, burning oil plumes and forest fire smoke.

The NRMRL programme uses DAC’s helium filled aerostats, winches and related hardware developed on the technologies of winch aerostat small platform (WASP) aerostat systems.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

A highly tactical and mobile aerostat system, WASP offers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and communications range extension services mainly to the US Army.

The US Army owns and operates WASP systems and uses them in its battlefields to support ground soldiers in remote areas for days, weeks or months.

In October, DAC delivered two of its enhanced WASP XL aerostat systems to a specialised defence contractor customer.

Airport Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airport Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Klayo’s talent and compliance platform tailored for airports has secured the Innovation Award in the Workforce Digitalization category . Learn how its competency gap analysis, integrated compliance hub and data-driven workforce planning are helping airports streamline operations, strengthen governance and engage employees.

Discover the Impact