There’s a new “unicorn” in the aviation technology world.
Skyryse, which on Tuesday announced a $300 million Series C funding raise, said it is now valued at more than $1 billion. The firm claims it is the first founder-led, privately held company offering dual-use civil and defense aviation technology to cross that threshold. It said it has raised more than $605 million in equity capital to date.
Skyryse said it will use the money to complete FAA certification of its SkyOS system, which it bills as the “first universal operating system for flight.” The aircraft-agnostic platform, in development for the past decade, does away with conventional cyclic, collective, and throttle helicopter controls in favor of a single control stick, pair of touchscreen displays, and fly-by-wire system. It is designed for takeoffs and landings with the swipe of a finger.
The company said its Series C will further support the deployment of SkyOS on new airframes. So far, Skyryse has installed it on the UH-60 Black Hawk, Cirrus SR22—its first fixed-wing integration—and Skyryse One, its flagship, IFR-certified helicopter built around a turbine-powered Robinson R66. It has contracts for further integrations on Airbus H-125s and H-130s, Bell 407s, and Pilatus PC-12s through partnerships with United Rotorcraft, Air Methods, Mitsubishi Corporation, and others including the U.S. Army.
“Skyryse is the only aviation technology company to reach this milestone while maintaining its independence and offering a technology for dual-use in defense and civilian markets,” the company said in a statement.
The Series C was led by Autopilot Ventures and Fidelity Management & Research, with participation from Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and other new and existing investors.
Skyryse’s Rise
Within its first year of operation, Skyryse, founded in 2016, created a SkyOS prototype that was deployed on a Robinson R44 used by the FBI, law enforcement, and first responders in California. It has since integrated the system on several airframes, conducted more than 10,000 hours of simulation, and flown 2,800 hours with real pilots commanding SkyOS-equipped aircraft.
To install the system, Skyryse removes the instrument panel, flight instruments, avionics, controls, and pedals, replacing them with digital displays and its fly-by-wire system. Swiping up on a touchscreen initiates lift and brings the aircraft to a hover at about five feet. Pushing and holding a thumb lever on the joystick sets the climb rate.
The company removed more than 100 parts to install SkyOS on the R66, creating what it believes is the first fly-by-wire helicopter commanded using a single control stick and pair of touchscreens. Skyryse One is designed for operations with two, one, or zero pilots. Pushing forward or back on the four-axis joystick adjusts speed. Moving it side to side alters the bank angle, which is automatically limited by SkyOS. Twisting it rotates the airframe.
The pilot can also adjust speed, altitude, and heading by dragging sliders or entering values on the touchscreen. Letting go of the control stick makes the helicopter fly straight and level at its target airspeed, though it lacks wire strike protection. In the air, SkyOS continuously monitors terrain, obstacles, and other aircraft to provide real-time safety alerts.
Skyryse has used its proprietary technology to achieve several aviation milestones, including the first finger-swipe takeoff and landing and first automated engine-out landing with a helicopter. The company began testing with helicopters because they are “inherently unstable and more complicated for pilots and automated systems to fly than airplanes.” But it believes the same user interface—a single control stick and digital displays—could be used to fly fixed-wing aircraft.
The FAA in 2025 granted final design approval for SkyOS’ flight control computers, which Skyryse on Tuesday said translates to acceptance of its entire system architecture. The company said that leaves only “formal flight verification” before certification. It added that SkyOS is undergoing for-credit FAA testing, meaning it could be certified in the next few months.
At the same time, Skyryse is conducting its own testing. In December, for instance, it flew a SkyOS-equipped Black Hawk after an integration that took only about three months. It completed an automated pickup, hover, and setdown with the swipe of a finger, performing precision flight maneuvers while in the air.
Skyryse is performing further work with the U.S. Army, which is exploring an integration on its fleet of more than 2,400 helicopters. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the world’s largest civil aerial firefighting operator, could equip its own fleet with SkyOS and potentially adopt Skyryse One.
Black Hawk manufacturer Sikorsky is also developing an optionally piloted variant of the helicopter equipped with its Matrix autonomy system. Boeing partners Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy are similarly working with the Army to retrofit Black Hawks.
