Arthur McMiler 
- Skyryse will provide SkyOS flight control hardware and software for SNC aircraft automation efforts
- SkyOS moved from integration to flight on a UH-60 Black Hawk in 91 days
- SNC subsidiary 3S Engineering and Certification holds FAA authority to certify SkyOS installs
Skyryse said Tuesday it will supply its SkyOS flight-control hardware and software to an SNC initiative aimed at adding automated and autonomous functions to aircraft already in service, starting with defense platforms.
What Does Skyryse Bring to the SNC Collaboration?
SkyOS is a flight operating system built to work across aircraft types. Skyryse took the system from integration to flight on a UH-60 Black Hawk in 91 days. The company, founded in 2016, also counts the U.S. Army, Air Methods, Mitsubishi Corp. and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection among its partners.
Skyryse CEO and founder Mark Groden said upgrading a fleet’s current aircraft is the quickest route to modernization, pointing to the Black Hawk effort as proof that SkyOS can deliver in “months, not years.” He said SNC’s integration and certification experience offers Skyryse a path to field the technology widely.
Which Aircraft Could SkyOS Reach Through SNC?
The companies plan to install SkyOS across the services’ fixed- and rotary-wing fleets and may expand to other aircraft categories as the work matures. Planned activities span integration, certification, retrofits and modifications, as well as wider SkyOS deployment.
SNC subsidiary 3S Engineering and Certification holds a Federal Aviation Administration Organization Designation Authorization, which empowers the company to certify SkyOS integrations on those platforms.
How Does the Skyryse Deal Fit SNC’s Aviation Portfolio?
Jon Piatt, an SNC executive vice president, said upgrading fleets need not require buying new aircraft and that SkyOS could lighten operator workload, promote consistent decision-making and keep crews focused on their missions.
SNC has separately partnered with Seekr on AI-enabled mission systems and signed a memorandum of understanding with Specter Aerospace on supersonic aerial launched effects.
The collaborations build on SNC’s recent aviation work, including MAF Connectivity upgrades for Air Force KC-46 tankers, ATHENA airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance service for the Army and two new maintenance hangars at its Dayton, Ohio, aviation center. The Army also plans to fit SNC’s DVEPS sensor suite on its autonomous Black Hawk testbed.
