How Skyryse is Advancing Certification and Scaling of its Universal Operating System for Flight, SkyOS™

Skyryse, a leader in aviation automation and simplified flight controls, led by Mark Groden, Stephen Koo, Blake Bilstad, and others, announced that it successfully raised over $300 million in a new Series C investment to drive continued growth and scaling, bringing its valuation to more than $1 billion. To date, Skyryse has raised more than $605M in equity capital.

The company’s Series C was led by Autopilot Ventures and returning investor Fidelity Management & Research Company, with participation from new and returning investors ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management LP, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Inc., Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management (US) LP, Woodline Partners, among others. 

Skyryse developed SkyOS, the world’s first universal operating system for flight, combining hardware and software to improve aviation safety. The platform replaces complex mechanical controls with an intelligent system that simplifies aircraft operation across normal, adverse, and emergency conditions.

Skyryse has secured SkyOS integration partnerships across every major aviation sector, including the U.S. military, emergency medical services, law enforcement, private operators, the world’s largest firefighting agency, and international markets.

The funding marks a major milestone, pushing the founder-led, privately held company past a $1B valuation. Skyryse remains the only independent aviation technology company to reach this scale while offering dual-use technology for both defense and civilian markets. The new capital will accelerate FAA certification and expand SkyOS deployments across aircraft platforms, including the world’s largest helicopter fleet, the Black Hawk.

In 2025, the FAA granted final design approval for SkyOS flight control computers, validating Skyryse’s aircraft-agnostic system architecture and leaving only formal flight verification before certification. SkyOS is currently undergoing FAA For-Credit flight testing.

SkyOS has enabled multiple firsts in aviation, including automated takeoff and landing, a stable, fully automated hover, and the world’s first automated engine-out landing. These achievements earned Skyryse recognition from the National Aeronautic Association as a Collier Trophy finalist.

Skyryse began development and testing of SkyOS on helicopters due to their inherent instability and complexity, accelerating progress toward scalable, aircraft-agnostic automation. Advances on Skyryse One enabled rapid integration and successful flight of SkyOS on a Black Hawk, establishing a strong foundation for expansion across aviation platforms.

Following a 91-day integration, SkyOS completed automated pickup, hover, and setdown on a Black Hawk, demonstrating maturity on a new platform from its first flight. Since its founding in 2016, Skyryse has deployed SkyOS across helicopters and airplanes, including the Robinson R44 and R66, the Black Hawk, and the Cirrus SR22, with announced integrations spanning Airbus, Bell, Pilatus, and other major aircraft platforms.