TruWeather Solutions, a global leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) weather innovation, in partnership with Hillwood, the City of Fort Worth and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, announces the deployment of the first-ever, comprehensive, low-altitude weather data system in North Texas. The new strategic initiative will support the safe and reliable growth of next-generation transportation technologies, ranging from drone delivery to autonomous trucking and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Implementation of the network is a significant milestone in advanced mobility at AllianceTexas, Hillwood’s 27,000-acre master-planned community in north Fort Worth, and one more example of Hillwood’s leadership in innovative public-private partnerships.
“By hosting our most advanced low-altitude wind sensors at critical locations across AllianceTexas, Hillwood is helping create a data-rich environment that allows us to understand wind patterns better and improve the safety and efficiency of drone and air taxi operations in urban environments,” said Don Berchoff, CEO of TruWeather Solutions. “The collaborative, public-private support we have received has been instrumental in turning the innovative concepts of our Virginia company into an operational reality.”
The projects are led by TruWeather Solutions through contracts and collaborative funding from a NASA Small Business Innovation Research Award and a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) SMART Grant awarded to the City of Fort Worth. The NASA-funded Urban Weather Sensing Infrastructure Testbed will improve weather-sensing data to decrease risks to Advanced Air Mobility Systems. The City of Fort Worth, in collaboration with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, has received a $2 million SMART Grant from the USDOT to develop and pilot a micro-weather network that will enhance safety and efficiency for intermodal and autonomous transportation.
At the core of the new weather infrastructure is the Wind Guardian, a state-of-the-art low-altitude wind sensing system using advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology developed by TruWeather Solutions’ partner, Metro Weather. More than 20 advanced weather and wind sensors will be deployed across key locations throughout AllianceTexas, including the Fixed Base Operation (FBO) at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Alliance Gateway 57 located at 1051 Republic Dr. in Roanoke (currently occupied by Cummins Clean Fuel Technologies) and the AllianceTexas Flight Test Center.
The network includes road weather sensors, cloud-detection sensors and advancements in laser technology, sensor design and data processing.
“AllianceTexas has long been a proving ground for transportation innovation,” said Christopher Ash, president of Alliance Aviation Companies at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. “By partnering with TruWeather, we will go beyond enabling advanced air mobility. We’re helping define the standards and best practices to guide its nationwide growth, which will aid in the safe, reliable deployment of drone technology and autonomous trucking.”
Researchers will begin reviewing sensor data in August to identify ways to optimize low-altitude operations and quantify how using micro-weather information in planning can improve the efficiency of transportation systems. Additional phases of the project will continue through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.
“We see real-time micro-weather intelligence as essential infrastructure for the future of logistics and mobility,” said Nicholas Konen, director of strategic development at Hillwood. “By working closely with TruWeather and public sector leaders, we’re laying the groundwork to support the scalable deployment of drones, autonomous vehicles and eVTOL aircraft across the region.”
