Reliable Robotics Secures $115 Million to Propel Autonomous Flight Systems Toward FAA Certification

Mountain View-based aviation startup Reliable Robotics has secured a vital $115 million funding boost, extending its Series D round and pushing its total valuation past the coveted $1-billion milestone. The nearly decade-old company is working to commercialize advanced autonomous flying technology designed for installation on existing aircraft. With this fresh capital, the startup gains an extended operational runway as it presses forward to secure rigorous certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, a monumental and critical hurdle that leadership says the company is steadily approaching.

The newly announced financing package consists of $90 million in equity funding led by Nimble Partners, alongside $25 million in debt financing provided by Silicon Valley Bank. This latest influx brings the startup’s total Series D round to $275 million and elevates its overall funding raised to date to an impressive $380 million. The round also drew participation from a range of other investors, including Gideon Strategic Partners, RockCreek, Geek Ventures, Gold Hill Capital, and Sparkwave Capital, cementing strong financial backing from institutional and specialized technology investors alike.

Robert Rose, co-founder and CEO of Reliable Robotics—and a former director of flight software at SpaceX who also held prominent engineering roles at Tesla and Google—emphasized the methodical nature of the startup’s progress. He noted that the company continues to deliver tangible engineering data and compliance evidence to federal regulators on a daily basis, bringing them progressively closer to the finish line. Juerg Frefel, the company’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, shares a similar background as a SpaceX veteran who dedicated nearly a decade to engineering roles at the aerospace pioneer.

Navigating the aviation sector means operating within one of the most heavily regulated industries in the global economy. In this environment, systematically moving complex new technology through the multi-stage regulatory pipeline represents a significant achievement. Reliable Robotics is currently pursuing FAA certification across four distinct operational and technological fronts, each directly tied to its overarching ambition of bringing safe, reliable autonomous flight to commercial aviation.

The startup’s flagship product, known as continuous autopilot engagement, is designed to manage engine startup, ground taxiing, takeoff, and landing maneuvers directly on behalf of the human pilot. Under this system, the pilot remains physically inside the aircraft cockpit, interacting directly with the advanced autonomous flight system via an intuitive touchscreen interface. Rose anticipates that the startup will secure official FAA certification for this primary system within the next 18 to 24 months.

Looking further ahead, a subsequent certification milestone will enable the complete removal of the pilot from the physical cockpit. Under this secondary phase, which Rose estimates is at least three years away, pilot operations will transition entirely to a ground-control station, allowing human operators to oversee flights remotely.

In parallel with flight controls, Reliable Robotics is actively pursuing certification for an innovative collision-avoidance radar system. The company was forced to develop this technology entirely in-house after failing to attract legacy aerospace suppliers willing to take on the specialized project. Conventional radar systems typically rely on mechanically moving antennas to sweep and scan surrounding airspace. In contrast, Reliable has engineered a solid-state radar containing zero moving parts, capable of scanning the sky at extended ranges and with significantly higher spatial resolution. Rose points out that the absence of moving components makes the system far easier to maintain and considerably less expensive to produce.

This proprietary radar technology is attracting intense interest from commercial operators, particularly in the wake of recent high-profile runway and airspace incursions within commercial aviation. Furthermore, the solid-state radar is designed to operate effectively on the ground, actively preventing dangerous collisions with other aircraft, service vehicles, or airport infrastructure. Rose projects that this advanced radar system will achieve formal FAA certification by the end of 2027.

The fourth major regulatory frontier involves securing certification for the company’s proprietary airline, aptly named Reliable Airlines. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the carrier operates a fleet of six Cessna Caravans—widely regarded as the dependable workhorses of the utility aviation industry—to transport cargo six days a week. While the FAA certifies physical aviation equipment and software under specific airworthiness standards, it simultaneously mandates that commercial airline operations be certified under an entirely separate, comprehensive set of federal regulations.

John Burbank, founder of Nimble Partners, acknowledged that while the regulatory certification process is inherently lengthy and demanding, the broader market benefits will be profound. Burbank noted that the venture represents a much larger endeavor and a vastly greater economic opportunity than simply designing a single proprietary aircraft. He emphasized that the startup is engineering an adaptable system capable of integration into virtually any existing airframe. According to Burbank, the founders possessed a sweeping vision nearly a decade ago, recognizing autonomy as an essential evolution for the industry. Once the initial system gains formal regulatory approval, the wider aviation sector will recognize it as the inevitable future path, mirroring the ongoing autonomous transition currently reshaping the automotive industry.