Insitu, UAF to partner for UAS IPP

17th May 2018 - 11:30 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Insitu will join forces with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for the FAA's UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), the company announced on 15 May.

The UAF has been selected by the US Department of Transportation as one of the ten participants in the IPP to work with state, local and tribal governments, and UAS operators and manufacturers to continue the safe integration of unmanned vehicles in US airspace.

Insitu will work with UAF in safely demonstrating capabilities such as operations over urban settings, night operations and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

The IPP intends to support the Department of Transportation and the FAA in establishing aviation rules to allow additional complex low-altitude operations by identifying ways to balance local and national interests related to UAS integration; improving communication with local, state and tribal jurisdictions; addressing security and privacy risks; and accelerating the approval of operations that currently require special authorisations.

Esina Alic, president and chief executive officer, Insitu, said: ‘Being part of the IPP is an exciting opportunity for our commercial team to collaboratively work with UAF.

'We will be demonstrating new and advanced capabilities that will continue to increase the safety of flight within the national airspace, while simultaneously expanding the operational envelopes in which UAS can operate — such as night operation and BVLOS.’