The Federal Aviation Administration will select six sites in the U.S. for testing unmanned aerial systems as the agency seeks to integrate UAS into civilian airspace.Marjorie Censer of the Washington Post reports the governors of Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey are teaming up to have a site in the mid-Atlantic region.
Mike Hayes, program director of Maryland’s Office of Military Affairs, told the Post the state wants to use a similar approach to that of helping encourage cybersecurity business in the state.
The state has encouraged companies to have a presence in the Fort Meade, Md. region, where both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command are based.
The partnership, dubbed the Mid-Atlantic Unmanned Aerial Systems Coalition, is hoping an FAA designation could spur more business for both large contractors that make the systems and smaller firms that make specialized technologies, coalition lead Matt Scassero told the Post.
What do the folks who live/own land within the proposed test range have to say?