We’re working with industry partners to take unmanned aircraft systems closer to operating in harmony with other aircraft in the national airspace.

Consider major aeronautical revolutions; a few may come to mind.

Such as the first flight at Kitty Hawk

Or breaking the sound barrier.

One aeronautical revolution that is overlooked is the standardization of commercial flights into the national airspace

It may seem simple, but our national airspace infrastructure is HUGE - including all U.S. navigation facilities & airports

Every day more than 44,000 flights safely take-off and land in the U.S., totaling more than 16 million flights per year.

Unmanned aircraft have come a long way. Once relegated to toys & military use, there are now many applications for its use.

Like package delivery…

Helping with crop production…

Disaster relief…

And even aerial ridesharing!

We conduct research to understand what's needed to integrate unmanned aircraft into the national air space.

We're evaluating lightweight and low-powered sensors to help conventional and unmanned aircraft detect & avoid one another.

Since 2011, we've tested new flight standards to evaluate how to help remote pilots safely detect and avoid other aircraft.

This testing includes using the Navmar TigerShark XP in the final phase of our series of flight tests.

We use unique control centers, piloted aircraft, and unmanned aircraft to supply the information needed for integration.

A typical test day starts with a briefing to review all test parameters for the day.

Once the briefing is complete, everyone goes to their respective locations, such as control rooms or to the aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Navmar TigerShark XP is towed out to the lake bed for launch.

Check out this view of the TigerShark XP being unloaded!

Once on the lakebed, a series of tests are performed on the aircraft to ensure it is safe and ready to fly.

On a cold, clear morning, the aircraft takes flight without a problem to begin the day's test.

Once airborne, the Navmar team hands over control to our test pilots to fly the mission for the day.

Experts monitor the system while “intruder” aircraft (used to test detect & avoid) begin the incursions into the airspace.

Pilots sees the incursions & properly guide the aircraft away. Then we bring in the TigerShark XP for the perfect landing!

We collect lots of information during our testing! The data allows for safe, efficient integration of unmanned aircraft.

While unmanned aircraft begin to populate the skies, we'll continue to test, evaluate and pursue a safe air space for all!