Flight tests could lead to UAS integration

                                                                NASA photograph by Carla Thomas

The Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft flies a research mission.

by Jay Levine
NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center

   NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System, or UAS in the                                                                                                                                               NASA photograph by Bridget McBride
NAS, project is attracting international attention as increasingly complex flight tests take place over
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.                                                   Armstrong personnel describes to visitors how NASA uses the Global Hawk autonomous aircraft
                                                                                                         for research missions such as hurricane research.
   Two events at Armstrong June 29 and July 13 gave industry, the Federal Aviation Administration
and international entities updates about how that work — which is meant to enable UAS to gain
routine access to the NAS where commercial aircraft fly — is progressing.

   To do so, the project is working with industry, academia and other government agencies to develop
recommendations for the FAA to safely open the skies to allow unmanned aircraft systems to fly in
the same airspace with human-piloted aircraft and enable new economic opportunities.

   “The technical focus of the UAS Integration in the NAS project is on detecting and avoiding

                                                                                       See NASA, Page 3

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