The FAA has granted the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in North Dakota a certificate of authorization (COA) to begin testing of beyond-line-of-sight drones.
This is a major step forward for the development of drone technology in America and will be a great way for North Dakota to draw in tech investment from major entities looking to test beyond-line-of-sight technology in the States.
Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota helped secure the approval from the FAA and was quoted as saying, “The FAA’s approval is a major step forward for North Dakota and the UAS industry in general because UAS will have to be able to fly beyond the line of sight in order to operate concurrently with piloted aircraft in the National Air Space. It also makes North Dakota an attractive place for government agencies like NASA, the Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security to integrate UAS into the national airspace system.”
Hopefully in the coming months the FAA will grant similar COAs to other test locations in the US so companies like Amazon will not have to go overseas to do beyond-line-of-sight testing.
