NASA has selected a research centre in Springfield, Ohio to host the next stage of trials looking at new aircraft, airspace management and aviation services as part of its Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign.
FlyOhio at the Ohio/Indiana UAS Center and Test Complex in Springfield will run the the program over several years to test applications such as health care delivery by drones, eVTOL air taxis and regional air cargo transport.
The award focuses on system development through integrated vehicle and airspace demonstrations in real-world scenarios that are critical to safe and effective commercialization.
The program will involve aircraft manufacturers, operators, and airspace service providers and suppliers, as well as Ohio regional and city planning organizations, local stakeholders, academic institutions, and health care networks.
Unmanned traffic management (UTM) company Anra Technologies is to provide the systems and services that will be used during the testing campaign and to share information with eVTOL operators and other UTM stakeholders, including vertiport operators.
Amit Ganjoo, founder and CEO of Anra said, “We are honored to be part of the winning FlyOhio team and look forward to helping NASA advance the entire advanced air mobility ecosystem through operational testing and demonstration approach, robust technology research and evaluation activities, and collaboration with community organizations and stakeholders.”
Members of the FlyOhio team will work with NASA on multi-modal transportation planning, modeling, and simulations of the AAM portion of a transportation system, public acceptance such as noise issues, community engagement, infrastructure planning, contingency planning for opportunities to demonstrate AAM operations in various scenarios.
“Advanced Air Mobility technology is revolutionizing the transportation industry and Ohio is well-positioned to lead market adoption as these solutions scale. We are committed to developing and deploying connected, automated, shared, and electric vehicles and infrastructure on the ground and in the air. This program is a manifestation of that ethos, and we are excited to increase the advanced aviation investment in Ohio’s economy,” said Howard Wood, executive director at smart mobility intiative DriveOhio.
Anra won a similar contract for an autonomous drone trail in Nevada last year and is also supplying technology for UTM trials in the UK and Switzerland.
