Senator
Sherrod Brown
Promoting
UAS Research &
Development in the Miami Valley
During
a meeting with the nominee
for secretary of defense, former Senator Chuck Hagel, U.S. Sen. Sherrod
Brown
urged for support in expanding the research, training, and development
of
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in Ohio. Sen. Brown discussed a number
of his
Ohio priorities with Hagel during a meeting in Sen. Brown’s office this
week.
UAS will play a critical role in border security measures, wildfire
suppression, and search and rescue missions.
“Ohio
has a rich history as a
leader in the aviation and aerospace industries and the Miami Valley
should
serve as a nerve center for UAS research, training, and development,”
Sen.
Brown said. “When confirmed, I hope Sen. Hagel will be a partner in
securing
increased opportunities for UAS technological advancement. Ohio’s
government
research labs, top-tier universities, and vibrant private research
sector make
our state an ideal FAA test site.”
In
February 2011, Sen. Brown
successfully amended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Reauthorization
Act to increase the number of designated sites across the country that
test UAS
and save taxpayer dollars by ensuring sites selected have the
infrastructure necessary
to carry out these tests. In August 2012, he visited the UAS training
center at
Sinclair Community College to visit a training program for jobs in the
UAS
field.
In
a letter to the U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT), Sen. Brown noted that the FAA should establish
test
locations that promote safety and maximize returns on taxpayer
investment. He
emphasized that the FAA should establish criteria for test ranges that
emphasize: geographic and climatic diversity, existing runway and
hangar infrastructure,
and the ability to leverage existing public-private partnerships.
Sen.
Brown’s bipartisan amendment
also directed the FAA Administrator to consult with NASA and the
Department of
Defense—two principal users and researchers of UAS—opening the door for
tests
to be done in restricted air space surrounding Wright Patterson
Airforce Base.
In April, Sinclair Community College received approval for UAS testing
at the
Springfield Air National Guard base.
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