Only days after Syracuse-based NUAIR won federal designation to operate one of six national test sites for unmanned aircraft, the alliance has landed its first client from private industry.Officials will announce today that New York City-based Flyterra has signed a deal to become NUAIR’s first customer, according to sources familiar with the agreement.
Flyterra’s goal is to become a major operator of mini-UAS that provide high-resolution imagery for customers in the agriculture, mining, natural gas and oil industries. Its drones can be used for aerial surveys of pipelines, electrical lines and related infrastructure.
NUAIR officials would not confirm the deal Thursday, and Flyterra executives could not be reached for comment.
Members of the NUAIR alliance are expected to make an announcement this afternoon at Syracuse University with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, D-Syracuse.
Flyterra — whose slogan is “Your business from above” — announced in October a partnership with Delair-Tech to become the exclusive U.S. and Canadian supplier of the lightweight DT-18 UAS.
The small, electric-powered drones are hand-launched, eliminating the need for a runway at takeoff. Flyterra said the drones are the first authorized by the French Civil Aviation Authority to fly unlimited distances in France’s civil airspace.
NUAIR, or Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, is a consortium of about 40 public and private entities and academic institutions in New York and Massachusetts.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday designated NUAIR as one of the national test sites charged with making sure unmanned aircraft can be safely integrated into the national airspace by 2015, while also respecting privacy rights. The alliance will concentrate its research on developing “sense and avoid” technology to keep drones from crashing into other aircraft or objects.
NUAIR’s test ranges will be based at Griffiss International Airport in Rome and Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Industry studies say the opening of the national airspace will lead to a technology boom that will especially benefit the six test sites. NUAIR officials say their alliance in New York and Massachusetts could help create 2,600 new jobs in the two states with an economic impact of $600 million by 2017.
Federal entities were not allowed to apply for designation as a national test site. But Schumer and other elected officials have said that Hancock Field in Mattydale, home of the 174th Attack Wing and its MQ-9 Reapers, will be an important part of the alliance.
In addition, Fort Drum’s Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield will be part of the NUAIR alliance. The Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing uses the Army airfield for its training missions with Reapers.
Source: Syracuse.com