NORRISTOWN, PA — Asylon has secured a Phase Three contract from the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex to deploy and demonstrate an autonomous aircraft inspection system, advancing the Air Force’s effort to reduce labor demands, safety risks, and inconsistencies in maintenance operations.
The Norristown-based robotics company will integrate aerial and ground platforms into its Multi-modal Autonomous Robotics for Inspection of Aircraft system, known as MARIA, for on-site use at the Georgia maintenance complex.
The system combines Asylon’s Guardian small unmanned aircraft and DroneDog ground robot with its Range autonomy software and DroneIQ command-and-control platform. The equipment is designed to conduct coordinated visual inspections without continuous manual operation.
Inspection data will be delivered to aircraft maintainers through a common interface that combines imagery, lidar scans, point-cloud information, telemetry and related records. Results can be reviewed through two-dimensional workflows and three-dimensional digital representations of the aircraft.
The Air Force is seeking to accelerate aircraft sustainment by automating inspection tasks that are labor-intensive, repetitive or potentially hazardous. Asylon contends the system can improve inspection speed and consistency while allowing maintainers to focus on evaluating results and making repair decisions.
“This award reflects the Air Force’s confidence in our autonomous air and ground robotics platforms,” Anthony McCarty, Asylon’s senior vice president of government, stated. He described the aircraft inspection work as an extension of technology already used in security operations.
The award builds on Asylon’s existing work with the Warner Robins complex and establishes the installation as a primary demonstration site for the MARIA system.
A successful deployment could provide a model for broader use of autonomous inspection technology across Air Force maintenance facilities and other defense sustainment operations.
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