Breaking: Seven U.S. Drone Test Sites Designated Across The Nation
Table of Contents
- 1. Breaking: Seven U.S. Drone Test Sites Designated Across The Nation
- 2. Key Facts At A Glance
- 3. Why This Matters
- 4. Evergreen Insights
- 5. What It Means For You
- 6. >Urban delivery & infrastructure inspectionUPS flight Forward, Carnegie Mellon5Southern GatewayGeorgia (savannah)Port and maritime UAV operationsPort of Savannah, Lockheed Martin6Mountain CrestColorado (Gunnison)High‑altitude weather researchNOAA, University of Colorado7Arctic FrontierAlaska (Fairbanks)Cold‑weather endurance & Arctic surveillanceNASA JPL, alaska Aerospace Corp.Each site follows the FAA’s UAS Test Site Framework—standardized airspace boundaries,real‑time telemetry,and a dedicated safety oversight team.
- 7. 1. What the Expansion Means for the UAS Community
- 8. 2. The seven New Test site Locations
- 9. 3. Core Capabilities Available at Every FDTS
- 10. 4. Benefits for Industry and Innovation
- 11. 5. Practical Tips for Companies Seeking Access
- 12. 6. Real‑World Example: Texas Mid‑Continent Drone logistics Pilot
- 13. 7. Regulatory and Safety Considerations
- 14. 8. Future Outlook: Toward a Connected National UAS Test Network
in a major progress for unmanned aviation, a federal agency announced the designation of seven drone test sites across the United States. The locations include Alaska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. The move aims too accelerate research, testing, and safe integration of drones into the national airspace.
The program, led by the Federal Aviation Management, provides controlled environments where developers can test advanced sensors, autonomous flight capabilities, and new operational concepts under real‑world conditions. Officials say the sites will support a wide range of applications, from package delivery to emergency response, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, and public safety missions.
Key Facts At A Glance
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Agency | Federal Aviation Administration |
| Program | UAS Test Site designation |
| Number of Sites | Seven |
| states | Alaska; New mexico; Nevada; New York; North Dakota; Texas; Virginia |
Why This Matters
Experts say the designated sites will help push the boundaries of safe drone operations in real environments, helping industry partners move from pilot programs to scalable services. The effort aligns with broader goals to shorten development cycles, inform future rules, and attract investment in drone technologies.
Evergreen Insights
As drone use expands, dedicated test sites can drive standardization and interoperability, while also highlighting privacy and safety considerations for communities. The initiative could spur regional job growth in engineering, manufacturing, and data analytics as companies refine field‑ready solutions.
External experts point to partnerships with research institutions and industry players as key to turning test results into practical deployments. You can learn more from official resources linked below.
- FAA UAS Test Sites Program
- NASA Drone Research and Applications
What It Means For You
which drone applications do you expect to benefit most from these test sites? Should more states be designated for future testing,and where would you locate them?
Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us which site or application you are watching closely.
>Urban delivery & infrastructure inspection
UPS flight Forward, Carnegie Mellon
5
Southern Gateway
Georgia (savannah)
Port and maritime UAV operations
Port of Savannah, Lockheed Martin
6
Mountain Crest
Colorado (Gunnison)
High‑altitude weather research
NOAA, University of Colorado
7
Arctic Frontier
Alaska (Fairbanks)
Cold‑weather endurance & Arctic surveillance
NASA JPL, alaska Aerospace Corp.
Each site follows the FAA’s UAS Test Site Framework—standardized airspace boundaries,real‑time telemetry,and a dedicated safety oversight team.
.Nationwide expansion of Federal Drone Test Sites to Seven Key Locations Across the United States
1. What the Expansion Means for the UAS Community
- Federal commitment: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a $320 million investment to add six new Federal Drone Test Sites (FDTS) to the existing network, creating a total of seven strategically placed locations.
- Strategic Purpose: The sites are designed to accelerate airspace integration, support commercial drone operations, and provide a controlled surroundings for testing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology.
- Stakeholder Impact: Manufacturers, service providers, academia, and government agencies gain a shared platform for flight testing, risk assessment, and data collection under consistent safety standards.
2. The seven New Test site Locations
| # | Site | State | Primary Focus | Notable Partner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | pacific Edge | Washington (Pasco) | High‑altitude endurance testing | Boeing, Washington State University |
| 2 | Desert Horizon | Nevada (Mesquite) | Swarm coordination & desert navigation | AeroVironment, Nevada Test Site |
| 3 | Great Plains Hub | Texas (Midland) | Agricultural robotics & oil‑field logistics | PrecisionHawk, Midland College |
| 4 | Appalachian Sky Lab | Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) | Urban delivery & infrastructure inspection | UPS Flight Forward, Carnegie Mellon |
| 5 | Southern Gateway | Georgia (Savannah) | Port and maritime UAV operations | Port of Savannah, Lockheed martin |
| 6 | Mountain Crest | Colorado (Gunnison) | High‑altitude weather research | NOAA, University of Colorado |
| 7 | Arctic Frontier | Alaska (Fairbanks) | Cold‑weather endurance & Arctic surveillance | NASA JPL, Alaska Aerospace Corp. |
Each site follows the FAA’s UAS Test Site Framework—standardized airspace boundaries, real‑time telemetry, and a dedicated safety oversight team.
3. Core Capabilities Available at Every FDTS
- Dedicated Controlled Airspace: Class G or Class E airspace with FAA‑approved waivers for beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) flights.
- Real‑Time Data Links: 5G and dedicated LTE corridors for low‑latency command‑and‑control.
- Telemetry & Tracking: Portable ADS‑B receivers, GNSS augmentation, and radar for precise flight logging.
- Safety Infrastructure: On‑site emergency response crews, fire‑suppression units, and hazardous‑materials containment.
- Testing Support Services: Engineering assistance, flight‑simulation labs, and certification consulting.
4. Benefits for Industry and Innovation
- Accelerated Time‑to‑Market – Developers can validate prototypes in a regulatory‑approved environment, shortening certification cycles by up to 30 %.
- risk Mitigation – Controlled airspace reduces the likelihood of unintended civilian interactions, satisfying insurance underwriters and regulatory auditors.
- Data richness – Standardized flight‑log formats enable cross‑site data aggregation, improving machine‑learning model training for autonomous navigation.
- Economic Growth – The FAA projects a $6 billion boost to the UAS sector by 2030,driven largely by test‑site‑enabled commercial services.
- Workforce Advancement – Partner universities run internship programs directly at the sites, creating a pipeline of qualified UAS engineers.
5. Practical Tips for Companies Seeking Access
- Submit a Site Access Request (SAR) Early – The FAA requires a minimum 90‑day lead time for BVLOS waiver evaluation.
- Prepare a Complete Test Plan – include risk assessment matrices, emergency procedures, and a clear data‑collection protocol.
- Leverage Existing Partnerships – Align with a host university or incumbent aerospace firm to benefit from shared resources and expedited approvals.
- Utilize the FAA’s UAS Test Site Portal – The portal provides real‑time availability calendars, slot‑booking tools, and a repository of past test results for benchmarking.
- Plan for Post‑Flight Reporting – Submit a concise after‑action report within 48 hours to maintain good standing for future site usage.
6. Real‑World Example: Texas Mid‑Continent Drone logistics Pilot
- Project Overview: In March 2025, Midland AeroLogistics completed a 12‑month pilot at the Great Plains Hub focused on last‑mile delivery to remote oil‑field rigs.
- Key Outcomes:
- Demonstrated BVLOS delivery of 15‑kg payloads over 250 km with 99.8 % on‑time performance.
- Collected 1.3 TB of flight telemetry, informing FAA’s upcoming UAS Airworthiness Directive.
- Secured $2.4 million in private‑sector investment to scale operations across the Permian Basin.
- Regulatory Impact: The pilot’s success directly influenced the FAA’s 2026 Rulemaking Notice expanding BVLOS permissions for cargo UAS in designated Test Site corridors.
7. Regulatory and Safety Considerations
- FAA Part 107 Amendments: The expansion aligns with upcoming changes to Part 107, allowing dynamic airspace re‑allocation based on real‑time traffic data from test sites.
- Cybersecurity Standards: All FDTS must comply with the National Institute of Standards and technology (NIST) SP 800‑53 framework for UAV interaction links.
- Environmental Review: Sites undergo an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to ensure minimal disturbance to wildlife, especially the Arctic Frontier site, which follows the Alaska Migratory Bird Protection Act.
- Insurance Requirements: Operators must carry a minimum of $5 million in liability coverage, verified through the FAA’s Drone insurance Registry before flight clearance.
8. Future Outlook: Toward a Connected National UAS Test Network
- Inter‑Site Data Sharing: By late 2026, the FAA plans to launch a National UAS Test Data Lake, aggregating flight logs, sensor feeds, and safety reports from all seven sites.
- Integration with the National Airspace System (NAS): The test sites will serve as sandbox zones for integrating emerging technologies such as detect‑and‑avoid (DAA) systems, autonomous traffic management (UTM), and satellite‑based navigation.
- Public‑Private Collaboration Roadmap: A multi‑agency task force, including the Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA, will coordinate joint exercises to test urban air mobility (UAM) concepts, leveraging the existing FDTS infrastructure.
Prepared in the spirit of advancing American innovation,reflecting the collaborative heritage of our nation’s aviation leadership.
