DHS picks Mississippi

Mississippi State University in Starkville was chosen by the Department of Homeland Security as a base of operations for drone research. Much of the work on how to best to use the devices will be done in South Mississippi. Research will be conducted at several Mississippi sites, along with 2,000 square miles of restricted airspace over land and water, at altitudes up to 60,000 feet. Operations are expected to begin in the fall. Sites that will be used are Camp Shelby, which is the Army National Guard’s national drone-training center; buffer zone areas at Stennis Space Center, which is used for Department of Defense special-operations training; and the maritime environment accessible from the U.S. Coast Guard facilities on Singing River Island in Jackson County. (Sources: multiple, including MSU, Sun Herald, 04/19/17)