Reliable Robotics

Market context

Reliable Robotics is one of the few companies pursuing FAA certification for autonomous aircraft rather than remaining in experimental or unmanned-only categories. Its approach targets scalable commercial aviation by upgrading existing fleets, positioning it closer to real deployment than most autonomy-first aviation startups.

Facts

• Website: https://reliable.co/
• HQ: Mountain View, California, United States
• Founded: 2017
• Segment: aerial robotics and drones
• Known funding rounds: 1

Funding

• 2026-04-21 - New investment - $160M - Reliable Robotics raises $160 million to accelerate deployment and scale production of its autonomous aircraft system - source: businesswire.com

Investors

• AE Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Calm Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Coatue - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Eclipse - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Gaingels - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Island Green Capital - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• KAS Venture Partners - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Lightspeed - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Mana Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Nimble Partners - Lead - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Pathbreaker Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• Presidio Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• RTX Ventures - Participant - Corporate / Cvc - 1 funding event - strategic/corporate - first seen 2026-04-21
• Socium Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• UP.Partners - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21
• What If Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-04-21

Commercial

1 commercial event; 1 contract award; 1 named customer; latest event 2025-12-10

• 2025-12-10 - Contract award - NASA awards Reliable Robotics contract for airport-adjacent UAS demonstration flights and contingency operations testing - NASA - source: businesswire.com

Autonomous aircraft systems company

Reliable Robotics develops aircraft autonomy systems intended to enable fully automated flight for cargo and defence aviation.

• Target environment: Regional cargo routes, airport environments, military logistics, commercial aircraft operations and advanced air mobility programs.
• Deployment model: Certifiable autonomy system development for existing aircraft, supported by FAA work and customer commitments.
• Customer context: Cargo operators, military users, aviation companies, aircraft owners and regional air logistics customers.
• Workflow context: Automated flight, detect-and-avoid testing, remote supervision, cargo aviation, safety validation and aircraft autonomy.
• Commercial maturity: Certification-stage autonomous aviation company with FAA-backed testing and substantial new funding for deployment.
• Market position: Autonomous aircraft company focused on certifiable retrofit autonomy rather than small drone delivery.
• Adoption constraints: Adoption depends on FAA certification, safety cases, aircraft integration, customer operations, insurance and aviation regulator acceptance.
• Adjacent context: Adjacent context includes autonomous aircraft, cargo aviation automation, detect-and-avoid systems and advanced air mobility.
• Source confidence: high

Events

• 2026-04-21 - Funding - Reliable Robotics raises $160 million to accelerate deployment and scale production of its autonomous aircraft system - Reliable Robotics announced $160 million in new funding to accelerate deployment and scale production of the Reliable Autonomy System. The company said the financing follows commitments for more than 200 systems from commercial and military customers. Nimble…
• 2026-04-07 - Capability - Reliable Robotics completes FAA detect-and-avoid testing around airport environments - Reliable Robotics announced completion of an FAA contract under the Broad Agency Announcement program to execute detect-and-avoid data collection flights in and around airport environments. The company said the campaign generated validation data for FAA certi…
• 2026-03-13 - Partnership - Reliable Robotics and the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department are selected for the FAA eIPP regional cargo pilot program - Reliable Robotics and the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department announced their selection for the FAA Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program. The program is intended to apply autonomous commercial cargo aircraft to connect Albuquerque with other co…
• 2025-12-10 - Contract Award - NASA awards Reliable Robotics contract for airport-adjacent UAS demonstration flights and contingency operations testing - Reliable Robotics announced a new contract with NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The contract covers operational demonstration flights of its automated Cessna 208B Caravan at and around airports in the national airspace system, along with cont…
• 2023-11-21 - Demonstration - Reliable Robotics completes uncrewed Cessna 208B Caravan flight supervised by a remote pilot - Reliable Robotics completed an FAA-approved uncrewed flight of a Cessna 208B Caravan with no one on board. The aircraft was supervised by a remote pilot from the company's control center about 50 miles away. The company described the flight as a milestone for…

Operations / Deployments

• 2026-04-21 - Funding - Reliable Robotics raises $160 million to accelerate deployment and scale production of its autonomous aircraft system - Reliable Robotics announced $160 million in new funding to accelerate deployment and scale production of the Reliable Autonomy System. The company said the financing follows commitments for more than 200 systems from commercial and military customers. Nimble…
• 2026-03-13 - Partnership - Reliable Robotics and the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department are selected for the FAA eIPP regional cargo pilot program - Reliable Robotics and the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department announced their selection for the FAA Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program. The program is intended to apply autonomous commercial cargo aircraft to connect Albuquerque with other co…
• 2023-11-21 - Demonstration - Reliable Robotics completes uncrewed Cessna 208B Caravan flight supervised by a remote pilot - Reliable Robotics completed an FAA-approved uncrewed flight of a Cessna 208B Caravan with no one on board. The aircraft was supervised by a remote pilot from the company's control center about 50 miles away. The company described the flight as a milestone for…

Team

• Robert Rose - Co-Founder and CEO

Customers and deployments

• UAS Demo Contract Status - NASA UAS demonstration and contingency-operations testing contract - 2025-12-10 - NASA - UAS autonomy testing - NASA awarded Reliable Robotics a contract for airport-adjacent UAS demonstration…