VentureOne, Adasi team up to integrate autonomous flight tech

Trade Arabia

23-02-2025

As dual-use technologies increasingly drive economies of scale worldwide, Adasi, a leader in UAV system manufacturing, has announced their adoption of two advanced autonomous flight technologies by Abu Dhabi's VentureOne: Perceptra, a new cutting-edge GPS-less navigation technology, and Saluki, a high-security flight control technology for autonomous systems.
These technologies, both developed by the Technology Innovation Institute, are designed to deliver secure, resilient operations in the most challenging environments.
They have been optimized for UAV manufacturers, offering enhanced resilience, precision, and security for autonomous aerial operations, it stated.
The agreement between VentureOne, Adasi, and TII was formalized at IDEX 2025, the Middle East's largest defense exhibition, at which Saluki and Perceptra were unveiled.
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has long been a fundamental pillar of navigation, supporting applications from everyday smartphone use to critical defense and military operations.
However, this widespread reliance on GPS has exposed vulnerabilities that can be exploited through techniques like jamming and spoofing. Jamming occurs when signals on the same frequency overwhelm GPS receivers, preventing accurate location tracking, while spoofing involves transmitting counterfeit signals to deceive receivers into calculating incorrect positions or times.
These vulnerabilities pose significant risks across sectors that depend on precise navigation, including autonomous drones, commercial aviation, and military aircraft.
In defence and security, compromised GPS signals can impact mission success and personnel safety, while in aviation, navigation errors may cause flight path deviations and operational disruptions – reports of which have the aviation industry and international regulators such as IATA and European regulator EASA seeking urgent solutions for GPS interference, according to one Reuters report in 2024.
For autonomous systems like drones and self-driving vehicles, the inability to maintain accurate positioning can create safety hazards, particularly in dynamic or high-risk environments, from aviation to defence.
As the use of GPS-dependent systems continues to grow, the need for resilient, alternative navigation solutions has become increasingly critical. Perceptra and Saluki overcome many of today's numerous challenges with advanced vision-based navigation, delivering reliable, resilient performance.
Dr Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, said: "Perceptra, with its GPS-less capabilities, and Saluki, with its sophisticated Zero Trust architecture, represent a significant leap in autonomous navigation with the potential to transform multiple sectors."
"From supporting safe travel in commercial flights, search-and-rescue missions with precise navigation, to enabling efficient urban drone logistics for deliveries in densely populated cities, these technologies have broad real-world applications," noted Aaraj.
"Their adaptability also makes them invaluable in defense, ensuring secure and resilient operations in even the most challenging environments. This collaboration reflects our commitment to developing advanced, dual-use technologies that serve both civilian and defense needs while positioning the UAE as a leader in next-generation autonomous systems," he added.
Perceptra is a vision-based system that ensures reliable navigation without GPS, allowing aerial platforms to operate in GNSS-denied environments.
It features visual relocking, low navigation errors, and easy integration across platforms for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.
Saluki is a secure, high-performance flight controller and mission computer with Zero Trust architecture. With PX4 compatibility, Gen AI capabilities, and 300 TOPS compute power, it supports multi-vehicle management for mission-critical defense applications.
"At Adasi, we integrate only the most advanced, field-proven technologies to ensure our UAVs operate with unmatched precision, resilience, and security, even in the most contested environments," remarked its CEO Juma Al Kaabi.
"Perceptra and Saluki provide exactly what next-generation UAVs require: secure, GPS-independent navigation and AI-powered mission control," he added.
Reda Nidhakou, the Acting CEO of VentureOne, said: "We are dedicated to ensuring that cutting-edge research becomes reality to make a positive impact and transform industries."