R-MA, County officials react to EDA ‘landing’ Silent Falcon UAS Technologies in Warren County

The Industrial Development Authority of the Town of Front Royal and the County of Warren (FRWCEDA) is excited to welcome Silent Falcon, UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Technologies to Warren County and the Front Royal/Warren County Airport.

Silent Falcon is a UAS Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) drone builder that specializes in aerial data collection and analysis for a variety of applications. At their Warren County location, they will design, fabricate and build their drones using advanced carbon fiber materials. They typically build 1-3 aircraft per month. This new location will also be their maintenance repair and flight training facility.

Silent Falcon has a fleet of 10+ drones that they deploy to remote locations to fly and capture data with their pilots. They also hire pilots with full aviation ratings for manned aircraft. Silent Falcon provides firefighting and security services in which a live feed from the tracking sensors is provided to law/fire officials.

Their software team, using data collected from the drones and their proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) software, they create data visualization pages and reports for their customers. Their most popular product is their PCI+ (Pavement Condition Index) report and pavement management program (PMP) which is required by FAA regulations for airport pavement management. They can scan an airport in a short period of time and produce a report in just a few hours.

Silent Falcon will also utilize their cutting edge, technologically advanced aircraft in a partnership with the Randolph Macon Academy (RMA) in Front Royal to train their students in the UAV program. This will provide RMA students the opportunity to learn about and work with the latest UAV technology. “To say we are “excited” about this announcement doesn’t quite capture what we are all truly feeling. This partnership with Silent Falcon strikes at the very core of our mission at the Unmanned Systems Lab at Randolph Macon Academy”, said Brian Kelly, Director of the Unmanned Systems Lab at RMA.

“As a signature offering in our pre-professional pathway’s initiative the R-MA drone program provides students with the tools and real-life experience needed to leverage the potential of unmanned technology in whatever career field they choose. Much of what we are doing is out of the classroom learning — applying drones and drone collected data to solving real-world problems. In this environment students take part in real projects from planning through execution and experience first-hand how “actionable” drone data is applied to many of today’s community management, business, environmental and economic challenges”, Kelly added. The partnership will also benefit the company due to the workforce talent pipeline that RMA offers through their well-developed UAV curricula.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors and Staff played a crucial role in successfully competing for this project. They worked with the EDA and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to structure a state and local incentive package that is entirely performance based. “The efforts of all the team members have made things happen to build an additional industry in our community. We wish Silent Falcon well and we all are looking forward to their expansion and future successes.” added Walt Mabe, Chair of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Delores Oates added, “It is my privilege to welcome Silent Falcon to our community. Their investment in Warren County to provide higher paying jobs focused on emerging technologies is a positive step toward our goal of building a community where we can live, play and work! Our County Staff, EDA and EDA Executive Director, Doug Parsons have done a tremendous job partnering with Silent Falcon to achieve this win for Warren County!”

“The Airport Commission is enthusiastic and excited about the UAS capabilities and services that Silent Falcon is bringing to Front Royal/Warren County Regional Airport.”, said Kenneth Roko, Chair of the Airport Commission. “We offer our support to help Silent Falcon pursue its business and R+D interests and their ongoing collaboration with Randolph-Macon Academy. As a Commission, we welcome the increased visibility of the Airport as one of many valuable assets to attract industry, tourism and economic opportunities to Warren County. We thank Grant Bishop, CEO of Silent Falcon and his company for selecting KFRR (our airport code). We also thank the Virginia Commonwealth, Warren County Board of Supervisors, Randolph-Macon Academy and the Warren County Economic Development Authority for supporting and enabling this important addition to our community.”

“I’d like to thank the BOS and Staff at the Warren County Government for their hard work and collaboration on this project. There were several departments involved, including the General Services Division, Public Works, the Administration and Legal teams and the Front Royal/Warren County Airport Commission. We also want to thank our partners at VEDP for bringing us this great opportunity and giving us the chance to compete for this investment.”, said Doug Parsons, Executive Director of the FRWCEDA. “This project shows that collaboration is the key to success in attracting jobs and tax revenue. We look forward to working with Silent Falcon and RMA going forward to ensure they are as successful as possible in their endeavors”.

For more information about this exciting new business, please contact Doug Parsons at 540-635-2182 or dparsons@wceda.com.