Choctaw Nation selected as FAA drone testing site

The Choctaw Nation will host one of two new national testing sites for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, the Federal Aviation Administration announced according to Oklahoma Voice. The other site was awarded to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The FAA said the sites are the first new drone testing grounds created in nearly a decade and are intended to evaluate the safety, operations and navigation systems of public and civil drone technologies before use in national airspace.

James Grimsley, the Choctaw Nation’s executive director of Advanced Technology Initiatives, said in a statement that the designation comes as the FAA works to develop rules allowing drones to fly beyond visual line of sight, expanding commercial and public safety uses. In a separate statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the new test sites will help gather critical data to safely expand drone operations. The FAA said Duffy unveiled a proposed beyond visual line of sight rule in August.