Middle Tennessee State University
and the ISR Group, based in Savannah, Tennessee, have signed a multi-year collaborative agreement to develop a new Unmanned Aircraft System programme in the south-eastern United States. The agreement ties MTSU’s nationally ranked Department of Aerospace with ISR Group’s industry-leading UAS experts, facilities and flight range.
MTSU’s aerospace department is working to assist the Federal Aviation Administration with defining the standards for small UAS flight operations and training certifications, as well as manned and unmanned next-generation air traffic management.
The ISR Group and MTSU partnership capitalizes on each organization’s expertise to create a world-class UAS technology, research and academic programme to support the emerging UAS market, help spur economic development, provide educational opportunities for the local work force and create high-tech jobs for Tennessee and the region.
“This is a wonderful example of joining two Tennessee treasures (ISR and MTSU) in an academic/business partnership with national significance,” said Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
ISR Group and MTSU make a great team to carry out collaborative training and research, officials with both said in a joint statement. ISR Group’s expert staff of UAS operators, maintainers, instructors and managers is working with MTSU’s aerospace faculty and staff to provide a solid foundation to develop a curriculum for UAS technology in the MTSU aerospace department and to help guide the development of a national UAS curriculum.
ISR Group’s privately owned 10-square-mile range complex and 32 square miles of available UAS airspace offer prime operational flight training and flight research capabilities. ISR Group also offers logistics and maintenance support along with state-of-the-art training equipment and facilities.
ISR Group’s generous donation to MTSU established the Director of UAS Programmes position for which Kyle Snyder recently has been hired.