Indiana’s congressional delegation unites behind FAA drone test site bid
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By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle
The Hoosier congressional delegation — in a push led by U.S. Senator Todd Young — is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to name Indiana as one of two new national drone test sites.
In a Monday letter to the federal agency, all nine of Indiana’s representatives and both senators expressed support for a bid from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Applied Research Institute as the FAA expands its Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site program.
If selected, Indiana supporters say the designation would open opportunities for universities and manufacturers in the state to develop cutting-edge drone technologies.
“Indiana is uniquely situated to best assist the FAA in integrating UAS into the national airspace system as well as advance the United States’ capacities for manufacturing and deploying drone technologies,” the delegation told FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, who previously served as the chief executive of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings until he was tapped by President Donald Trump earlier this year to serve as FAA administrator.
Lawmakers added that, “between the geographical location in the heart of the Midwest, the already numerous testing assets for a variety of missions, and state and federal representatives who are committed to supporting advancement of these critical technologies, our state is poised to provide the best outcomes for American leadership in drone manufacturing and deployment.”
The FAA is adding two sites to its national network, which supports research, safety evaluation and integration of unmanned aircraft, according to the federal agency.
Young’s office said Indiana stakeholders submitted their application to the agency Monday, and the delegation letter was sent the same day.
Indiana’s manufacturing strength is a central part of the pitch.
Lawmakers wrote that while developing advanced drone technologies is vital, “it will be even more critical that we can take these newly developed technologies and scale them at a level in which we can deploy them to industries across the country.”
“From applications in defense, agriculture, public safety, and beyond, there is a demand and need for U.S.-developed and produced technologies that address the national security and privacy concerns posed by their foreign-made counterparts,” they said. “Indiana is also well-positioned to meet the influx of workforce needs that will accompany this growing ecosystem.”
Universities and military assets were also highlighted.
The letter pointed to Purdue University, which lawmakers noted has “the first university-owned airport in the country, the largest indoor motion capture facility in the world, and a faculty dedicated to addressing the challenges of safely integrating UAS into the national airspace.”
Highlighted, too, was Indiana’s Technology Readiness and Experimentation initiative at Camp Atterbury, which in August “demonstrated the ability to neutralize a 49-drone swarm with a single electromagnetic pulse,” as well as testing space at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center and counter-UAS work at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.
The delegation also underscored ARI’s role as a coordinator of state and federal research efforts, saying its experience “managing the Silicon Crossroads Hub, Heartland Bioworks tech hub, and the Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Program” positions the institute well to support the test-site designation.
State-level coordination is additionally part of the argument.
The letter referenced Gov. Mike Braun’s Oct. 29 executive order establishing a statewide drone task force.
The new “Indiana Initiative for Drone Dominance Task Force” will coordinate work across government, universities and private industry to support federal efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership in drone technology and airspace security.
The task force must deliver its strategic plan and recommendations to the governor by July 31, 2026.
Young, who serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and has worked on drone policy at the federal level, helped Braun craft the executive order.
The FAA has not announced a timeline for selecting the new testing sites.
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