Final FAA-mandated UAV test site established in Virginia

In December 2013 the FAA selected six test sites that would help facilitate the utilisation of UAVs in national airspace, all of which have subsequently opened since April 2014.

The measures were a result of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, in which the administration was mandated by Congress to ensure UAVs can be fully integrated into the national airspace by 30 September 2015. The sixth and final US Federal Aviation Administration-mandated unmanned air vehicle (UAV) test site has been established in Virginia.

The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University test site officially opened on 13 August, and follows the opening of the other sites in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota and Texas.

FAA names six states as UAV test sites

The FAA has announced that six states have won the bid for official UAV testing sites. The states that won the bids include Virginia, Nevada, Texas, New York, Alaska and North Dakota. The sites will allow for testing of UAVs in controlled environments to gather data on how different UAVs perform. In 2015, the FAA has been mandated to open the airspace for operation of UAVs.  Agriculture is said to be one of the primary beneficiaries of UAV technology in the future.

Raytheon dará soporte a las Global Hawk GCS de la USAF

 

Raytheon ha conseguido un contrato para proporcionar tares de soporte y logística de las estaciones terrestres de la flota de UAVs RQ-4 Global Hawk pertenecientes a la USAF.

 

 

Bajo los terminos del contrato, Raytheon proporcionará servicios tecnicos "on-site" durante las operaciones de lanzamiento, control y recuperación, así como servicios de mantenimiento y testeo del segmento de tierra para asegurar en todo momento la disponibilidad de las estaciones terrestres Global Hawk desplegadas en las bases de Beale (California) y Grand Forks (North Dakota).