Drones are here to stay and academia is helping make that safe

April 29, 2022
Raytheon Intelligence & Space is working with universities on the future of the national airspace.

ARLINGTON, Va., - Tens of thousands of aircraft take to the skies on any given day. And the airspace is expected to become even more congested with drones in years to come. Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, is working with universities to shape the future of air travel by integrating drones into the airspace and figuring out how to make that safe, Raytheon Technologies reports. Continue reading original article.

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

29 April 2022 - “Little drones, big drones and crewed aviation — the whole airspace ecosystem needs to be shared,” said Mike Dubois, Air Traffic Systems technical program manager for RI&S. “It’s a national resource. Integrating these new entrants safely, securely and efficiently is something we at RI&S are actively working towards.”

RI&S is lending college researchers several of its products, including systems for air traffic management, weather prediction, cybersecurity and mobile radar. The equipment helps them conduct the research and development that is fundamental to innovation.

Sharing such sophisticated equipment and engineering resources with universities enables fundamental research, development and innovation in academia. It’s also helping to leverage existing knowledge of the piloted environment and apply it to the uncrewed environment.

For example, researchers from Stony Brook University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Virginia Tech and Hampton University have used RI&S’ Skyler radar to capture critical data in low-altitude surveillance, precision weather observation and the tracking of small unmanned aircraft systems.

Related: FAA continues drone integration initiatives

Related: Raytheon and AirMap collaborate on safe drone integration

Related: Swedish group says UAS solutions will help automate daily operations in airports

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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