Henderson will soon have the state’s first drone test site, officials say

Flying drone (Thinkstock)

A small team from the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems conducts a drone flight at the Nevada State College campus on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (Brett Kanda/NIAS)

A small team from the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems conducts a drone flight at the Nevada State College campus on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. (Brett Kanda/NIAS)

Henderson city officials on Monday said the city will soon have the state’s first unmanned aerial systems test site through a partnership with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Nevada State College.

The Henderson Unmanned Vehicle Range at Nevada State College will be home to the test site, which is set to open in the spring to provide commercial drone designers and operators a location for testing their products.

Experts from the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems will provide Federal Aviation Administration regulatory guidance and drone flight support and coordination for companies conducting testing, development and training.

In 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Nevada as one of six designated drone test site operators. Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems will manage the Federal Aviation Administration designated Nevada Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Site.

For more information, visit the Governor’s Office of Economic Development at diversifynevada.com/key-industries/aerospace-defense/uav or Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems at nias-uas.com.

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.