The Federal Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted rare airworthiness certification to the Optimus 1-EX system by drone maker Airobotics, a subsidiary of Ondas Holdings. This makes it only the second ever drone to receive FAA type certification and the first for a "drone in a box" system.

Type certification is the FAA's highest airworthiness standard. Optimus is designed for fully automated drone operations for emergency response and data collection.

Airobotics CEO Meir Kliner said this makes them the only American company currently able to deploy certified automated drones as permanent aerial infrastructure in populated areas. This will enable expanded use cases like first response and disaster relief.

The certification came after a rigorous 4-year verification process by the FAA. Optimus is already operating regularly in the complex urban environment of the UAE. Airobotics now plans to replicate such operations in US cities.

The Optimus system features an industrial drone that deploys from and returns to an automated base for battery and payload swapping. This enables continuous unmanned flight.

Earlier in 2023, Airobotics acquired anti-drone technology company Iron Drone to bolster their capabilities. Parent company Ondas Holdings acquired Airobotics in 2022 to accelerate the development and applications of its American Robotics subsidiary through Airobotics' regulatory experience.

Achieving the premier FAA type certification puts Airobotics and the Optimus system in an elite category of proven, trusted drone technologies. This unlocks complex autonomous use cases that can provide immense public value but were previously restricted.

Other drone makers will aim to follow Airobotics' lead in obtaining type certification. For now, Optimus remains a pioneering and unrivaled solution for robust, reliable, and highly automated drone infrastructure operations in urban environments.