Safran chooses Outsight to accelerate Autonomous solutions development

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Safran Electronics and Defense known for in autonomous systems?

  Safran Electronics and Defense is the division of Safran responsible for tactical UAVs and ground robotics programs. One publicly named project is "Furious," developed for the DGA (France's defense procurement agency). The division positions itself as a European leader in platform empowerment, meaning the integration of autonomous navigation and situational awareness into military and industrial vehicles, drones, and aircraft. To accelerate that work, Safran Electronics and Defense partnered with Outsight, whose Infrastructure-based Physical AI and 3D LiDAR perception software provide the real-time spatial intelligence needed to advance autonomous mobility solutions.

• What does 3D LiDAR perception add to drone or UAV autonomy that GPS alone cannot provide?

  GPS provides global position but carries no information about the immediate physical environment: obstacles, terrain, or other vehicles. A 3D LiDAR perception layer maps the surrounding environment in real time, allowing a platform to detect and avoid objects, navigate in GPS-denied conditions (tunnels, urban canyons, indoor spaces), and understand the geometry of its surroundings at centimeter-level precision. That combination is what makes fully autonomous operation practical in complex, unstructured environments. Outsight's work with Safran on autonomous mobility technologies applies this same 3D perception capability, using infrastructure-based LiDAR processing to deliver the precise, real-time spatial awareness that drone and UAV autonomy requires beyond what satellite positioning alone can offer.

• What is aircraft ground taxiing autonomy and why is LiDAR relevant to it?

  Autonomous taxiing refers to an aircraft navigating airport aprons and taxiways without pilot input after landing or before takeoff. The environment is geometrically complex: ground vehicles, service personnel, other aircraft, and variable weather conditions all create dynamic obstacles that must be detected and avoided. LiDAR is relevant because it provides a 3D map of the immediate surroundings regardless of lighting or fog, enabling onboard or infrastructure-side perception systems to detect obstacles and plan safe paths in real time. Outsight's partnership with Safran brings this infrastructure-based perception approach to autonomous mobility, applying the same LiDAR-native, sub-50ms pipeline that powers Outsight's Motional Digital Twin deployments at major airports to the specific challenge of aircraft ground autonomy.

• How does off-road autonomous vehicle perception differ from highway autonomous driving?

  Highway autonomous driving operates on predictable road geometry with lane markings, structured signage, and rule-compliant vehicles. Off-road environments lack all of that: terrain is irregular, there are no lanes, obstacles are unpredictable (rocks, vegetation, trenches), and GPS coverage may be intermittent. Perception systems for off-road platforms must therefore rely more heavily on real-time 3D sensing to build situational awareness from the raw environment rather than from map priors. This is precisely the domain where LiDAR-native perception becomes critical, and it underpins the Outsight and Safran partnership on autonomous mobility technologies, where Outsight's sub-50ms 3D perception pipeline is applied to accelerate autonomous solution development for complex, unstructured environments.

• What is co-development in the context of a deep-tech software and defense hardware partnership?

  In a co-development agreement between a software company and a hardware or systems integrator, both parties contribute proprietary technology toward a shared output, typically a working subsystem. The software provider supplies perception or analytics algorithms; the integrator contributes platform knowledge, ruggedization, and certification pathways. The Safran and Outsight partnership follows this model: Outsight brings its Infrastructure-based Physical AI software and the SHIFT platform's 3D perception capabilities, while Safran contributes deep expertise in defense-grade hardware and systems integration. The resulting product combines capabilities neither company could efficiently build alone, and intellectual property terms define how the jointly developed components are licensed or owned.

• Why do defense and aerospace primes seek external LiDAR software partners rather than developing perception in-house?

  Real-time 3D LiDAR processing at scale requires narrow and deep specialization in point-cloud algorithms, multi-sensor fusion, and low-latency edge execution. Defense primes like Safran excel at systems integration, certification, and platform engineering, but building a competitive perception software stack from scratch would take years and divert R&D budget from core competencies. Partnering with a specialist compresses time-to-capability and gives access to a sensor-agnostic stack already validated across multiple hardware vendors. That logic is reflected in Safran's choice of Outsight, whose SHIFT platform offers LiDAR-native perception compatible with hardware from Hesai, RoboSense, Ouster, and others, and processes 3D data end-to-end in under 50 milliseconds, providing a foundation that would otherwise require years to replicate internally.

• When did Safran announce its partnership on autonomous mobility technologies?

  Safran and Outsight announced their partnership on autonomous mobility technologies in December 2019. The agreement allows the two companies to pool their skills and integrate technology developed by Outsight into Safran products. It includes specific co-development projects for applications such as off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing. For Safran, the partnership is part of its strategy in the automation of vehicles and smart machines.

• What exactly does the 2019 partnership agreement between Safran and the LiDAR technology provider include?

  The partnership signed between Safran and Outsight includes specific projects for the co-development of solutions that combine Outsight and Safran technologies. These projects target applications such as off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing. The agreement also allows the two companies to pool their skills so that technological bricks developed by Outsight can be integrated into Safran products. Raul Bravo described it as a multi-faceted partnership built on trust between the two companies.

• What did Martin Sion, President of Safran Electronics and Defense, say about the 2019 partnership?

  Martin Sion, President of Safran Electronics & Defense, said the agreement is part of Safran's strategy to prepare for vehicle autonomy and related equipment. He pointed out that Safran is a European leader in tactical UAVs and has strong ground robotics developments, such as the Furious project for the DGA. According to him, this places Safran at the forefront of making platforms autonomous. He added that the agreement lets both companies pool their skills to integrate Outsight's technological bricks into Safran products.

• What is the Furious project mentioned in the Safran partnership announcement?

  The Furious project is cited by Safran as an example of its strong ground robotics developments, carried out for the DGA. Martin Sion, President of Safran Electronics & Defense, referred to it alongside Safran's position as a European leader in tactical UAVs when explaining why Safran is at the forefront of platform autonomy. The project illustrates the robotics context in which Safran signed its agreement with Outsight. That agreement allows technological bricks developed by Outsight to be integrated into Safran products, for applications such as off-road vehicles, drones or aircraft during taxiing.

• What did Raul Bravo say about Safran when the two companies signed their 2019 partnership?

  Raul Bravo, President Founder of Outsight, said the Outsight team was impressed by Safran's technological know-how and vision in areas adjacent to Outsight's own, including 3D laser perception and automation. He described Safran's ability to integrate Outsight's technology into its solutions as an undeniable asset. He also said Outsight was honored by the trust shown through this multi-faceted partnership. The agreement covered co-development for off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing.

• What kind of 3D perception technology was Safran partnering with in 2019 for autonomous vehicles?

  In 2019, Outsight was developing innovative solutions that allow autonomous vehicles to simultaneously perceive and understand their environment in 3D. Safran described these new capabilities as part of its strategy in the automation of vehicles and smart machines. Raul Bravo, President Founder of Outsight, noted that Safran's know-how extends to areas adjacent to Outsight's, including 3D laser perception and automation. The partnership aimed to integrate Outsight's technological bricks into Safran products for off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing.

• How large was Safran in terms of employees and revenue at the time of the partnership?

  At the time of the partnership with Outsight, Safran was an international high-technology group operating in aircraft propulsion and equipment, space and defense markets. It had a global presence, with more than 95,000 employees and sales of 21 billion euros in 2018. Working alone or in partnership, Safran held world or European leadership positions in its core markets. The group is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.

• How much did Safran invest in research and development in 2018, the year before the partnership was announced?

  Safran undertakes research and development programs to meet fast-changing market requirements, with total R&D expenditures of around 1.5 billion euros in 2018. That year, the group also reported sales of 21 billion euros and more than 95,000 employees. The partnership with Outsight, announced in December 2019, includes specific projects for the co-development of solutions combining Outsight and Safran technologies. It focuses on autonomous applications such as off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing.

• How does the LiDAR partnership fit into Safran's strategy for automating vehicles and smart machines?

  Safran's strategy includes preparing for vehicle autonomy and the related equipment across its markets. The company positions itself as a European leader in tactical UAVs with strong ground robotics developments, which puts it at the forefront of making platforms autonomous. Partnering with Outsight brings in capabilities that allow vehicles to perceive and understand their environment in 3D. These new capabilities are part of Safran's strategy in the automation of vehicles and smart machines, from drones to off-road vehicles and taxiing aircraft.

• What does integrating 3D perception technology bricks into Safran products mean in practice?

  Under the 2019 agreement, Safran and Outsight pool their skills so that technological bricks developed by Outsight can be integrated into Safran products. Outsight's contribution comes from its solutions that allow autonomous vehicles to simultaneously perceive and understand their environment in 3D. The work is organised as specific co-development projects combining both companies' technologies. Target applications include off-road vehicles, drones and aircraft during taxiing, and Raul Bravo described Safran's ability to integrate Outsight's technology into its solutions as an undeniable asset.