Oklahoma State University is joining the world’s leading research institutions in helping write the flight plan for fully integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, into the national airspace.
OSU is the newest member of the Mississippi State University-led Alliance for Systems Safety of UAS through Research Excellence or ASSURE. The consortium, which now includes 32 of the world’s leading research institutions, is the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center of Excellence for UAS Research.
OSU joins the consortium at a time when improvements in technology are creating new use cases for drones in almost every economic sector, as well as national security and defense. ASSURE serves as a major research, testing and evaluation hub to ensure drones are safely integrated into the national airspace.
“We are thrilled to welcome OSU to ASSURE,” said Hannah Thach, ASSURE executive director. “OSU’s capabilities and research focus areas make the university a natural fit with our current member institutions and industry partners. We appreciate their commitment to ensuring the benefits of UAS are fully realized in the U.S. and beyond.”
OSU maintains robust aerospace R&D infrastructure and capabilities, including the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education and its Counter-UAS Center of Excellence and LaunchPad Research Center. OSU’s counter-UAS work includes establishing requirements and evaluation criteria for UAS to detect, identify and defeat solutions. The Launchpad Research Center supports advanced air mobility research and entrepreneurship.
“We at OAIRE are thrilled to join the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center of Excellence for UAS Research, ASSURE,” said Dr. Jamey Jacob, OAIRE executive director. “Our team is passionate about pushing boundaries in autonomous aviation. Our efforts in both expanding UAS operations across the national airspace and providing critical capabilities in keeping the airspace and critical infrastructure safe align perfectly with the FAA’s mission. We are eager to collaborate with our partners to drive groundbreaking innovations and ensure a safer, more efficient future for all.”
