MSU team named COE UAS

The Federal Aviation Administration has chosen the Mississippi State University team as the FAA's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (COE UAS). The center will focus on research, education and training in areas critical to integration of unmanned systems into the nation's airspace. The team includes 15 leading UAS and aviation universities. The research areas will include detect and avoid technology, low-altitude operations safety, control and communications, spectrum management, human factors, compatibility with air traffic control operations, and training and certification. In addition to MSU, other team members are Drexel University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Kansas State University, Kansas University, Montana State University, New Mexico State University, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of North Dakota, and Wichita State University. The COE will be able to begin research by September 2015 and be fully operational by January 2016. Once the team develops detailed research plans, the FAA will determine the relationship between the new COE and the six UAS sites the FAA announced last year. The FAA expects COE flight testing to occur at one or more of the existing test sites. (Source: FAA, 05/08/15) Gulf Coast note: The Gulf Coast region is heavily involved in unmanned systems, including work on the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout and Global Hawk systems.