News center. ULM enhances campus safety with installation of SkySafe drone detection system. Published february 10, 2026. CAPTION: The new drone detection equipment from SkySafe allows the ULM Police Department to monitor unauthorized drone activity on the ULM campus. MONROE, La. - The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) has partnered with SkySafe, the global leader in drone detection and airspace intelligence. ULM has selected SkySafe's cloud-based drone detection technology to bolster public safety across its campus, protecting students, faculty, and visitors from unsafe or unauthorized drone flights. Universities are facing escalating challenges from unauthorized drones, which can disrupt events and compromise safety at large gatherings. SkySafe's platform combines advanced drone detection and tracking with deep analytics and forensics, giving ULM real-time visibility into its airspace and the actionable intelligence required to stay ahead of emerging threats. Mark Johnson, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Training Director for the University of Louisiana Monroe Police Department, spearheaded this initiative with support from a FEMA grant in response to an emergence of drone activity across campus. After evaluating several solutions, the university selected SkySafe for its 24/7 monitoring capabilities, reliability in detection and analytics, and partnership-driven approach to deployment and maintenance of its system. "SkySafe gives us a proactive, reliable way to manage drone activity on campus," said Dr. Johnson. "Beyond the technology, their hands-on partnership means we're not just reacting to threats - we're staying ahead of them while keeping our community safe." "As drone threats evolve, we are committed to providing the tools universities need to understand their airspace and distinguish between authorized and unauthorized drone activity," said Melissa Swisher, SkySafe's chief revenue officer. "ULM's proactive decision to deploy SkySafe shows leadership in campus safety, setting an example of how universities can and should adopt advanced airspace intelligence to protect their community." ULM's deployment of SkySafe is especially critical during large-scale events such as football games and academic ceremonies, which draw thousands of students, alumni, and visitors to campus. Historically, monitoring for drones required a "boots on the ground" approach, with staff physically watching the skies - a method that is time-consuming and limited in coverage. With SkySafe's continuous monitoring and advanced airspace intelligence, ULM now has full, real-time visibility into its airspace, ensuring that major events remain safe, secure, and uninterrupted. "As we look to the future of ULM, it's essential we adopt technologies that safeguard our students and enhance the overall campus experience," said Dr. Carrie L. Castille, ULM President. "Partnering with SkySafe is an important step in ensuring our university remains a safe place to learn, live, and gather." SkySafe's partnership with ULM builds on its growing presence in higher education and follows a successful deployment at the University of Illinois, which has relied on SkySafe's airspace intelligence for three years to protect its campus and stadium during major Big 10 sporting events. About SkySafe SkySafe is the global leader in airspace intelligence, delivering unmatched visibility into drone activity. As the only company offering advanced drone detection, deep analytics, and forensics, SkySafe enables organizations to identify, track, and understand real-time drone activity with precision. Its cloud-based SaaS platform provides comprehensive drone data, helping distinguish between authorized drones and potential threats. By transforming complex drone data into actionable insight, SkySafe empowers organizations to act with clarity and confidence and provides the intelligence needed for smarter decision-making and safer skies.

Andreessen horowitz-backed SkySafe launches token-rewarded drone tracking network. * A16z-backed SkySafe to launch participant-operated drone detection network with Solana token rewards * Company addresses FAA Remote ID tracking infrastructure gap using distributed sensors * Token launch deferred to 2027, detailed economics to be released Q2 2026 before sensor shipping Andreessen Horowitz-backed drone security company SkySafe plans to launch FliteGrid, a participant-operated network that rewards individuals and organizations with cryptocurrency tokens for deploying sensors that track drone activity across the United States. The announcement, scheduled for November 18, positions the system as a response to an infrastructure gap created by federal drone identification regulations that mandate data broadcast but lack centralized collection systems. The initiative follows a model used by other decentralized physical infrastructure networks, where hardware operators earn tokens for contributing data to collectively build systems that traditionally require centralized investment. However, SkySafe will not disclose detailed token economics including supply, distribution, or reward calculations until the second quarter of 2026, approximately 18 months before the planned 2027 token launch and concurrent with sensor shipping, according to company representatives. Participants will initially earn points that convert to $FLITE tokens when the cryptocurrency launches. The timing creates uncertainty for potential participants evaluating the investment proposition. Pre-orders for sensors are refundable at any time before shipping, which the company characterized as risk mitigation for those who wish to assess the economics before committing. The company stated that all pre-orders can be cancelled and fully refunded at any time before shipping. This allows participants to evaluate disclosed tokenomics before committing to deployment. Market context and Remote ID mandate. More than one million drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA estimated 2.8 million drones would operate in the United States in 2024. The FAA began enforcing Remote ID requirements on March 16, 2024, after a six-month extension from the original September 2023 deadline. The regulation requires most drones to broadcast identification and location data, which the FAA describes as a "digital license plate" for unmanned aircraft. The broadcasts transmit publicly accessible information including drone location, altitude, velocity, serial number, and operator location. The system uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth protocols. The system mirrors Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) used for manned aviation, where aircraft continuously broadcast position data that websites like FlightAware aggregate for public flight tracking. SkySafe's FliteGrid sensor designed for outdoor installation. Image: SkySafe How FliteGrid operates. FliteGrid participants purchase sensors that detect these Remote ID broadcasts and transmit data to SkySafe's centralized platform for aggregation and analysis. The sensors do not include cameras and collect only the FAA-mandated broadcast data that drones already transmit, according to company representatives. Contributors receive rewards through $FLITE tokens distributed via the Solana blockchain. Company representatives explained the architecture: "SkySafe centrally aggregates the sensor data, and provides the data fusion and analysis, but the FliteGrid sensor network itself is decentralized." Anyone can purchase a sensor and contribute data, though SkySafe maintains centralized control of data processing and analysis. Token distribution represents the only blockchain-based component at launch, with the company indicating plans to add governance mechanisms and data marketplace features as the network develops. The characterization of the system as "decentralized" applies specifically to sensor network distribution rather than data architecture. This approach follows a pattern used by other infrastructure networks where distributed hardware operators contribute to centrally managed platforms. Comparable networks and token economics. The model resembles established decentralized infrastructure projects. Geodnet operates over 19,000 stations, which provide precise positioning data. Contributors earn base rewards of 0.5 GEOD tokens per hour as of November 2024 (the reward halves annually). Hivemapper built a mapping network covering approximately one-third of global roads through dashcam-equipped contributors earning HONEY tokens on Solana, with rewards varying based on coverage freshness and data quality. Wingbits created a flight tracking network, which uses ADS-B receivers to monitor aircraft positions. These networks compensate individual hardware operators for contributing data to infrastructure that traditionally requires centralized corporate or government investment. Participants in comparable networks typically recover hardware costs within months to a year. Recovery time varies based on location and network saturation, though cryptocurrency price volatility affects actual returns. At $949 per sensor, FliteGrid's hardware cost is comparable to other DePIN networks. However, the deferred tokenomics disclosure and 2027 token launch timeline means participants cannot calculate expected payback periods at this stage. Company background and enterprise focus. SkySafe, founded in 2015 by former Air Force Research Lab officer Grant Jordan, raised $45 million in venture funding through 2021. Andreessen Horowitz led seed and Series A rounds totaling $14.5 million in 2016-2017, then participated in a $30 million Series B led by Kingfisher Investment Advisors in December 2021. The ten-year-old San Diego company reported reaching profitability in 2020. The company's existing technology detects and tracks drone activity for military, public safety, and commercial customers across more than 30 countries. The platform uses radio frequency analysis and drone communications protocol reverse engineering. Customers include the U.S. Department of Defense, FAA, Department of Homeland Security, Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, Motorola Solutions, and the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open has used SkySafe's detection system for three consecutive years. Industry publications reported that SkySafe detected 12 unauthorized drones during the 2023 tournament. Local law enforcement intercepted nine operators. Infrastructure gap and competitive landscape. Company representatives characterized FliteGrid as addressing a significant infrastructure gap: "There is still a significant gap in the infrastructure needed to receive and distribute this data, as no one is collecting and tracking this data at the necessary scale to enable the level of safety and coordination that manned aviation currently has." SkySafe provided background information on the system's architecture, privacy protocols, and disclosure timeline. The company stated that detailed tokenomics would be released in Q2 2026 before sensors ship. The company emphasized that pre-orders remain fully refundable until shipping, allowing participants to evaluate the economic model before committing to deployment. Multiple companies manufacture Remote ID receivers, including Dronetag, Aerobits, uAvionix, and others that primarily target commercial and enterprise customers. These systems detect Remote ID broadcasts for airspace monitoring but are not structured as participant-operated networks with token rewards. The Remote ID receiver market was valued at $3.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $5 billion by 2033. Crypto-News.Net could not identify other companies building participant-operated Remote ID networks using token incentives comparable to FliteGrid's model. Investment considerations. The viability of FliteGrid's token economics cannot be fully evaluated at this stage. SkySafe stated that critical details including total token supply, distribution percentages among contributors, team, and investors, vesting schedules, and the methodology for calculating rewards will be released in Q2 2026, concurrent with sensor shipping and approximately 18 months before the 2027 token launch. While sensor pricing is set at $949, the absence of tokenomics details means participants cannot calculate expected returns or payback periods. The company's disclosure timeline means participants can assess the economic model before hardware deployment begins. However, the two-year gap between pre-orders and token availability creates extended uncertainty about actual returns. Pre-orders for sensors are available through the company's website with Q2 2026 delivery. Company representatives stated sensors will earn points immediately upon deployment, with conversion to $FLITE tokens occurring when the cryptocurrency launches in 2027. Full refunds are available until shipping.

SkySafe introduces new Forensics service to strengthen drone incident investigations. SkySafe offers Forensics as a Service to aid investigations of drone incidents. As police departments, government agencies and operators of critical infrastructure wrestle with the growing threats from maliciously operated drones, to date the focus has been on detecting these UAVs, identifying their operators and somehow mitigating their flights before they can cause serious harm. However, as the threat evolves, the response also will invariably evolve to include invoking the legal system - bringing the bad drone operators into court to prosecute them for their alleged violations of federal and state aviation laws. Drone detection and airspace intelligence company SkySafe is seeking to help make drone-related prosecutions and convictions easier. The company has launched a new product, Forensics as a Service (FaaS), to enable law enforcement agencies, public safety teams and certain designated organizations to independently respond to and investigate drone incidents with speed and precision. "SkySafe's Forensics as a Service (FaaS) is a subscription-based offering that provides law enforcement and government agencies with end-to-end drone forensic capability - from device recovery to courtroom-ready evidence," SkySafe Chief Revenue Officer Melissa Swisher said in an email statement. FaaS uses data extracted from recovered drones - including flight logs, serial numbers and metadata collected through SkySafe's Covert Forensic Imaging Device (CFID) forensic tools - and combines it with information from the SkySafe Cloud, such as historical drone activity, flight-path visualizations and identification data. "By correlating these two data sources, FaaS can confirm when a recovered drone is the same one previously detected acting maliciously in a given airspace, producing a verified, prosecutor-ready forensic report that meets strict chain-of-custody and evidentiary standards," Swisher said. Swisher said the new product will be offered for professional use by law enforcement and public safety agencies and by approved private organizations charged with protecting critical sites from incursions by malicious drone operators. A one-year subscription to the service includes the analysis of every drone recovered within a given year, along with annual training and certification for investigators to ensure proper evidence handling and analysis. The service's training will enable the customer's personnel to analyze and interpret their own drone data using SkySafe's tools and platform, Swisher said. "In addition, SkySafe's in-house forensic experts remain actively engaged, offering ongoing support, expert analysis and data validation," she said. "These specialists assist agencies in building detailed, prosecutor-ready reports from extracted flight logs and device identifiers, ensuring every investigation is backed by expert insight and evidentiary rigor." Under the terms of the service agreement, SkySafe will also make its certified forensic experts available to provide expert testimony in court, to explain the methods, data integrity and findings contained in their reports. "All forensic analyses are conducted using validated tools and documented chain-of-custody procedures, ensuring that SkySafe's experts can confidently stand behind the evidence and support agencies through every stage of investigation and prosecution," Swisher said. In the event of a drone incursion incident, FaaS will help the customer identify the operator of an errant drone and to establish whether that particular drone and its operator were responsible for the incident - whether or not the drone is recovered. When a drone is recovered, SkySafe's service extracts flight logs, identifiers and onboard metadata using certified forensic tools, then matches that information to detections in the SkySafe Cloud. This correlation often reveals the operator's launch point, flight history and behavioral patterns, allowing investigators to attribute the drone to a specific individual or organization. "The service enables agencies to extract, decrypt and analyze data from recovered drones and match it to flight records in the SkySafe Cloud, establishing a complete chain of custody and operator attribution," Swisher said. In the event that the drone is not recovered, SkySafe's cloud-based airspace intelligence platform can still provide valuable investigative leads including operator location estimates, repeat-flight patterns and other identifying signatures derived from radio frequency and telemetry data. "While physical recovery provides the strongest evidence, SkySafe's cloud data alone can help agencies narrow the range of suspects, support warrants or document repeated airspace violations with evidentiary confidence," she said. Although for the past several years law enforcement and government agencies have employed SkySafe's forensic capabilities to support drone-related investigations and prosecutions on a case-by-case basis, FaaS represents the first offer of a service that provides a scalable and cost-effective way to manage those investigations. Swisher said that initially SkySafe would only offer the service to its U.S. customers. "Delivering this level of airspace intelligence gives organizations the ability to truly understand and control what's happening in their skies," Swisher said in a statement. "Forensics as a Service is the missing piece that completes that picture. By closing the investigative loop, we're enabling customers to move from awareness to action - turning every incident into actionable, admissible evidence."