One step closer to developing Skyway Range in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) has partnered with uAvionix to help enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations at the new Skyway Range.

A provider of avionics solutions and infrastructure services for uncrewed and crewed aircraft, uAvionix will play a key role in developing Skyway Range in Oklahoma, according to OAIRE officials.

Skyway Range is a flight test facility that connects Oklahoma State University’s Unmanned Aircraft Flight Station — currently OAIRE’S primary unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flight test facility — with the Osage Nation Skyway36 Droneport, and eventually link to downtown Tulsa. This corridor will be unique in both its breadth but also in its proximity to an urban center, according to OAIRE officials.

uAvionix will deploy a centrally managed Command and Control (C2) and Detect and Avoid (DAA) system across multiple nodes in the system and provide system integration services to the OAIRE team, according to OAIRE officials.

Each node will consist of detect-and-avoid and unmanned traffic management systems, including radar, surveillance broadcast receivers, cameras, radios, and aviation weather monitoring systems to provide full coverage of aviation traffic in the area to maintain airspace safety, OAIRE officials explained.

Companies endeavoring to deploy UAS for cargo and passenger transport will have access to the range for testing and development, including conducting scalable BVLOS operations, according to uAvionix officials.

Long-term goals include expanding the network to connect sites across the state and developing a statewide testing capability, officials added.

“Unmanned aerial systems have the potential to unlock a revolution in the transportation and logistics industry in this country. Much of the groundbreaking research and technologies are being developed and tested locally here in Oklahoma through strategic partnerships with TIL, OSU and Osage LLC that will be used across the country and beyond,” said Osage LLC project manager Berbon Hamilton. “The announcement today that Skyway Range will be adding uAvionix software as the C2 and DAA represents another milestone towards achieving this potential.”