Hall of Fame

The AUVSI Hall of Fame was established in 2022 to celebrate more than five decades of breakthroughs and innovations in the AUVSI community. Each year, we select two new honorees—one individual and one technology—based on nominations from AUVSI members and leaders.

Individuals

Individual Hall of Fame honorees include the best and brightest AUVSI members. These leaders have had a fundamental impact on uncrewed technology, policy, or education.

Reginald Denny

The late Reginald Denny was a legendary actor, aviator, and founder of the uncrewed aviation industry. Reginald invented some of the world’s first remote-controlled aircraft and drones. AUVSI’s very own co-founder, Lt. Col. Red Smith, operated some of Denny’s drones while serving in the Vietnam War. To this day, Reginald’s influences shaped the very trajectory of our industry; without his contributions, our industry wouldn’t be where it is today.

Technologies

Technology Hall of Fame honorees include innovations that make autonomous technology possible. They represent major engineering and scientific breakthroughs in a variety of sectors and applications.

Inmarsat

Inmarsat invented the ELERA L-Band satellite communication, which has served as the backbone of safety communications for the aviation industry since 1990. From fast and precise UAV positioning data to high quality video compression, Inmarsat ELERA provides Beyond Visual Line of Sight technology that unlocks new commercial use cases across sectors. Today, ELERA is used by more than 200 airlines onboard more than 13,000 aircraft, and Inmarsat processes 50 million aircraft position reports annually.