The Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) Alliance is looking to create the first U.S. drone testing airspace in New York, and to do so, they recently announced a partnership with Raytheon.
The partners seek a 50-mile stretch expanding west from Griffiss International Airport, which is one of seven Federal Aviation Administration approved drone testing sites in the U.S. Raytheon’s part in this will be as a planner, designer, builder and general supporter of the state’s air traffic management system for safe testing.
“UASs are playing an increasingly important role in our society, which means we must have low-altitude air traffic management solutions,” Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon’s Navigation, Weather and Services mission area, said. “The New York airspace corridor is the first-of-its-kind, but it won’t be the last.”
The corridor will be open to companies and air traffic management technologies alike. Therein they will be able to test their products in real-world settings, potentially advancing the commercial use of drones.
“We have identified the most qualified organizations to complete the New York UTM corridor and expand our UAS testing capabilities,” Maj. Gen. Marke F. “Hoot” Gibson (ret), NUAIR Alliance’s chief executive officer, said. “With all our state economic and technical support, I think we are well positioned to accelerate the UAS industry and further establish this region as a national leader.”