An MQ-9 Reaper approaches the runway at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, April 29, 2024. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dylan Maher.

By Niki Kelly
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — The Trump administration on Thursday, Jan. 8 announced Indiana as one of two new national drone test sites – a designation that could attract jobs and spending from the industry.

Sen. Todd Young, who spearheaded the effort to land the site, applauded the move.

“It means that we have the ability and the private companies and universities and military will have ability to fly drones in Indiana’s airspace, which in turn will lead to more research and development, military exercises, more commercial development of drones in the state of Indiana and ultimately more manufacturing of advanced drones in the state,” he told the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

“From an economic development standpoint, it burnishes our reputation … as a cutting-edge state for excellence and innovation,” he added.

Oklahoma was chosen as the second new site, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.

“From delivering lifesaving medicine to surveying pipelines, drones are already reshaping industries and changing how people and products interact. It’s our job to make sure the United States safely leads the way with this exciting technology – not China,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a news release. “We’ve added these new test sites to help us gather critical data and test new systems so we can safely unleash innovation in our skies.”

Young and the entire Hoosier congressional delegation expressed support for a bid from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the Applied Research Institute as the FAA expands its Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site program.

The federal agency currently designates seven drone test sites in Alaska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia.

Indiana Senator Todd Young discusses his experience in the Marine Corps and how it helped him earn more progressive leadership roles in life during a recent visit to the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in Indiana on May 1, 2018. Photo by Staff Sgt. Tyler Mitchell, USMC.

Young said the site will also mean more training opportunities for the Indiana National Guard and other military who come here to train, plus spillover economic benefits to communities that host them – and, high-paying jobs for Hoosiers.

“This sort of work is high-tech, precise and the demand signal is very strong for these best-in-class drones right now,” the senator said. “But not so high-tech that regular Hoosiers who are high school graduates with a certificate from community college couldn’t land them.”

He said it will take about six months to establish the site’s boundaries. It will be a wide swath encompassing Purdue University and southern Indiana.

Universities and military assets were emphasized in Indiana’s application.

The December letter of support pointed to Purdue University, which lawmakers noted has “the first university-owned airport in the country, the largest indoor motion capture facility in the world, and a faculty dedicated to addressing the challenges of safely integrating UAS into the national airspace.”

Highlighted, too, was Indiana’s Technology Readiness and Experimentation initiative at Camp Atterbury, which in August “demonstrated the ability to neutralize a 49-drone swarm with a single electromagnetic pulse,” as well as testing space at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center and counter-UAS work at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.

Young said he was not concerned that Indiana’s failed redistricting effort would stall federal benefits to the state.

“I just continued to look forward and do my work, having confidence that Pres. (Donald) Trump and the administration would be professional in their selection process and I’m glad they have been,” he said.

Young first pushed the site designation when meeting when then-FAA administrator nominee Bryan Bedford in June.

State-level coordination is additionally part of the argument.

The letter referenced Gov. Mike Braun’s Oct. 29 executive order establishing a statewide drone task force.

The new “Indiana Initiative for Drone Dominance Task Force” will coordinate work across government, universities and private industry to support federal efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership in drone technology and airspace security. The task force must deliver a strategic plan and recommendations to the governor by July 31.

Young, who serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and has worked on drone policy at the federal level, helped Braun craft the executive order.