Osmose Secures FAA Waiver for ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight' Operations, Enhancing Capabilities for Aerial Data Collection for Electrical Utilities

Business Wire

24-04-2025

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. ('Osmose'), a leading provider of critical asset resiliency and life extension services for the electric utility industry, announced today it has secured an FAA waiver to perform Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). This milestone builds on Osmose's ongoing innovation efforts to deliver market-leading comprehensive utility pole inspection, assessment, and resiliency services for utilities nationwide.
Osmose's FAA waiver to perform Uncrewed Aircraft Systems operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight enables broader data collection per flight, reduces field time, and supports a more proactive, data-driven approach to infrastructure management.
Traditionally, UAS (drone) operations have been restricted to visual line of sight, limiting their range and operational efficiency. With the BVLOS waiver, Osmose's aerial inspection teams can now remotely cover significantly larger geographic areas without requiring continuous visual tracking of the drone. This advancement unlocks new levels of efficiency, scalability, and responsiveness in the inspection of overhead electric utility infrastructure for critical issues such as structural defects, equipment failures, and extreme weather conditions.
Osmose deploys UAS equipped with high-resolution optical cameras, infrared sensors, LiDAR, and other advanced technologies to capture precise data on utility assets. The BVLOS capability enables broader data collection per flight, reduces field time, and supports a more proactive, data-driven approach to infrastructure management.
'Securing this waiver marks a significant advancement for Osmose, allowing us to better serve our utility partners by enhancing the speed, safety, and quality of aerial data collection,' said Mike Adams, CEO of Osmose. 'It's an important advancement that builds on our ongoing commitment to delivering market-leading pole inspection, assessment, and resiliency services.'
'The BVLOS waiver is a strategic milestone that enables Osmose to deliver a more complete solution to utilities nationwide,' said Neha Jatar, Managing Director at EQT Group. 'It strengthens Osmose's position as the leader in integrated inspection, assessment, and resiliency services, helping customers better manage their critical infrastructure for the future.'
Unlike many UAS waivers, Osmose's authorization is not geographically constrained and can be applied to Class G airspace across the United States, providing flexible, nationwide aerial service capability.
This step further supports Osmose's strategy to combine ground inspections, aerial surveys, advanced analytics, and engineering expertise - all designed to extend asset life, improve system reliability, and reduce the total cost of ownership for electric utilities.
For more information about Osmose and its aerial services capabilities, please visit www.osmose.com/aerial-services.
About Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.
Founded in 1934, Osmose is the market-leading provider of critical resiliency, assessment, mobile contact voltage testing, evaluation, and restoration services for electric transmission, distribution, and telecommunications companies in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company employs more than 4,000 people. Osmose's field technicians, professional engineers, scientists, and corrosion experts utilize their expertise to identify and solve issues to make utility infrastructure safer, longer lasting, and more resilient while lowering the total cost of ownership. Osmose is a portfolio company of EQT Infrastructure. Learn more at https://www.osmose.com/.