SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NUAIR and the New York UAS test site are working with a Massachusetts firm on “advanced” drone-testing operations.
The partnership with AiRXOS also seeks to help New York agencies in their use of drones. Boston–based AiRXOS is part of GE Aviation.
The partnership is aimed at “helping to scale and accelerate the adoption of safe and compliant unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) solutions,” NUAIR said in a Tuesday news release.
AiRXOS recently announced the expansion of its air mobility platform ecosystem with the addition of 11 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology, service, and business partners, including NUAIR.
Syracuse–based NUAIR is short for Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research. The nonprofit focuses on UAS operations, aeronautical research, safety management, and consulting services.
A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.
A traffic-management system is under development to support unmanned aircraft, much like the air-traffic management system currently in place for manned aircraft.
NUAIR has been leading this effort at the Federal Aviation Administration–designated New York UAS test site. The site is within New York’s 50-mile drone corridor, which stretches from Rome to Syracuse.
The radars and advanced technologies integrated into the 50-mile corridor were installed specifically to facilitate advanced drone operations, including an unmanned traffic management system. In order to keep everyone in the air and on the ground safe, “clear, precise and constant” communication between manned and unmanned aircraft needs to be developed, established, and implemented, NUAIR said.
“Partnering with AiRXOS compliments and enhances the UTM capabilities and research that we’ve been conducting in Central New York at the New York UAS test site and 50-mile UAS corridor,” Michael Hertzendorf, CEO of NUAIR, said. “Together, we will accomplish our collective goal of the safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace by helping to build a universal UTM system.”
“We strongly believe in the power of strategic partnerships to support the innovation, value, and growth of advanced UAS operations,” Kenneth Stewart, CEO of AiRXOS, said. “Every industry leading partner we bring into the Air Mobility Platform brings another layer of value, expertise, and function to our customers and we are pleased to become strategic partners with NUAIR and the New York UAS test site.”
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com