The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the last of its six unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, which will help to evaluate use of drones in the national airspace system.

Mainly aimed at evaluating methods for scouting agricultural fields using different types of sensors such as visual, thermal and multispectral equipment, the programme will also improve existing methods of monitoring crops and offer additional information to continue field research efforts.

"The six test sites are going to play a key role in helping us meet that challenge."

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "We have undertaken the challenge of safely integrating a new and exciting technology into the busiest, most complex airspace in the world.

"The six test sites are going to play a key role in helping us meet that challenge."

Virginia Tech has also secured two-year certificate of waiver or authorisation from the FAA to use Smart Road Flyer UAS, eSPAARO, Aeryon Sky Ranger, MANTRA2, Sig Rascal and two AVID EDF-8 micro UASs.

All the approved test sites in Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland will carry out UAS operations, including agricultural spray equipment testing, development of aeronautical methods for integration of UAS flights in a towered airspace.

The test sites will also work on developing training and operational procedures for aeronautical surveys of agriculture.

FAA administrator Michael Huerta said: "Having all six national test sites up and running will give us more and better data to help expand the safe use of unmanned aircraft into our airspace."

Operating below 400ft, flights will last up to one hour and the process will be repeated until geospatially-referenced imagery is captured.

Defence Technology