Stake Acquired in Unmanned Air System Traffic Management System Developer OneSky Systems, Inc.

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Hyodo), through Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (Head Office: New York, US; Representative: Masaki Nakajima; hereinafter, “SCA”) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “the Sumitomo Corporation Group”), has acquired a stake in OneSky Systems, Inc. (Head Office: Pennsylvania, US; CEO: Robert Hammett). OneSky Systems, Inc. develops unmanned air system (UAS) traffic management systems, which are essential for an air mobility society.

Air mobility is the next-generation means of transportation, using airspace as a transportation network. Air mobility is expected to reduce transport times in urban areas and facilitate mobility for remote islands and mountainous areas. It will also reduce emergency response times. The advent of an air mobility society will fill airspaces with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), necessitating systems to manage UAV traffic.

OneSky Systems, Inc., an affiliate of Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), develops UAS traffic management systems, which establish safe flight paths to prevent collisions between UAVs. This kind of traffic management requires more advanced technical capabilities than traditional aircraft control systems. Using an intellectual property agreement, OneSky Systems, Inc. has exclusive access to AGI’s core technology of precise object position determination, and has applied this technical prowess to developing systems to serve as critical infrastructure to operate and manage UAVs.

In January 2020, Sumitomo Corporation concluded an air mobility business partnership with Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., a major US helicopter manufacturer, and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.. Sumitomo Corporation has begun considering the provision of services employing unmanned logistics drones and air taxis developed by Bell with an eye to commercializing them by the mid-2020s.

The Sumitomo Corporation Group is looking to establish innovative transport services, and it will be contributing substantially to building a next-generation mobility society through its new transport infrastructure business.

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