blog

UAS in the National Airspace: Not ‘If,’ but ‘When’

By Loudoun Economic Development | Aug 27, 2018

Share

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via Email

Swanka Burnette
Business Development Manager

Depending on where you stand in the unmanned community I can almost guarantee you’ve overheard a version of one or all of the following:

• “We’re at least three years away from true integration.”
• “It’s the data you get off the drone that matters most, not the drone itself.”
• “There is so much uncertainty from a regulatory/policy standpoint.”
• “The counter-UAS community will need to grow in lock-step with the general unmanned industry to address the serious potential for bad actors to use drones for nefarious reasons.”

Here’s the reality about unmanned vehicles technology:

• The technology exists today and continues to develop.
• The industry overlays are nearly endless, including package delivery, construction, agriculture, law enforcement/first responder, insurance, photography and more.
• The FAA is working closely with jurisdictions across the United States to integrate unmanned aircraft into our airspace.

Here’s what experts are saying about unmanned:

• Ask an experienced military service member about unmanned systems and they will tell you that the technology is not new and that it is the ubiquity and commercial application of drones that is relatively new. Look under a Christmas tree in 2019 and you will see drones.
• Ask Loudoun County Sheriff Chapman about drones and he will tell you about how the sheriff’s office recently received an achievement award for the Project Lifesaver Drone Program.
• Ask me about drones and I’ll tell you about Loudoun County’s status as a team member to Virginia’s winning UAS integration proposal. I’ll also tell you about how the first-ever long distance commercial drone delivery test was conducted/completed in Virginia just a couple weeks ago.

Loudoun County is the data capital of the world and home to dozens of Inc. 5000 Companies. We can offer your business easy access to the D.C. metro area, a talented workforce, greenfield space along the Silver Line commuter train line, and a location just a few miles from Dulles International Airport.

Contact me today to follow the data (off your drone or otherwise) to Loudoun County, Virginia.