The U.S. Air Force and the state of Ohio plan to deploy research equipment worth $5 million at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in a bid to secure Federal Aviation Administration approval for unmanned aircraft use beyond a pilot’s line of sight, Springfield News-Sun reported Thursday.Allison Wichie writes Art Huber, director of operations at the Air Force Research Laboratory, said that AFRL will collaborate with the Wright State Research Institute to install new technology at the airport before year-end.
The initiative seeks to foster the use of drone technology on national security and defense missions in addition to commercial applications such as delivery of goods, according to the report.
David Gross, the Wright State Research Institute’s chief engineer, said the new technology will be utilized alongside FAA’s air traffic control network, radar and instruments that support the airport’s ground-based sense-and-avoid system.
