印第安纳州启用中西部无人机试验场：全美九个联邦航空局指定试验场之一、即日起开放试飞
美国印第安纳州 Vigo 县 Terre Haute 市 10 月 29 日迎来一座新的无人机试验场。印第安纳州州长 Mike Braun 当天在当地启用「印第安纳中西部无人机系统试验场」（Midwest UAS Test Site of Indiana），为企业、国防机构、公共安全部门与研究人员开发新一代无人机与自主航空技术提供区域资源。
该试验场是美国联邦航空局（FAA）指定的全美九个无人机系统（UAS）试验场之一，以试验地点、空域与技术伙伴组成的网络形式运行，FAA 的指定为协调研究、试飞、实验与认证飞行提供框架。试验场即日起接受会员并支持试飞运作，参与向产业开放，从初创企业、零部件供应商到成熟的航空航天与国防公司均可借此寻找测试资源、规划运作并取得评估技术所需的许可。
「印第安纳的国防产业正以前所未有的势头起飞，」州长 Mike Braun 在启用仪式上说，新试验场使本州成为国防与国家安全领域的引领者。联邦参议员 Todd Young 在仪式上致辞称，美国不能在无人系统上落后于对手，这一试验场有助于确保新一代无人机与反无人机技术在美国设计、测试与制造。州商务厅长 Chuck Goodrich 表示，把 FAA 指定试验场的能力与全美制造业最密集的经济体相连接，将打通从测试到生产的直接路径，吸引投资、支持高薪岗位并强化本土航空航天供应链。
试验场由应用研究所（ARI）与印第安纳经济发展公司（IEDC）牵头，伙伴包括 Purdue 大学、Pierce Aerospace、Windracers、印第安纳国民警卫队与海军水面作战中心 Crane 分部。Terre Haute 地区机场是其运营枢纽之一，任务范围覆盖中西部与五大湖地区，其他枢纽将在未来几个月公布。
Indiana Launches Midwest UAS Test Site, One of Nine FAA-Designated Drone Test Sites in the United States
Terre Haute, in Vigo County, Indiana, became home to a new drone test site on October 29. Indiana Governor Mike Braun launched the Midwest UAS Test Site of Indiana in the city, creating a regional resource for companies, defense organizations, public-safety agencies and researchers developing the next generation of drones and autonomous aviation technologies.
The Midwest UAS Test Site is one of nine uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) test sites designated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It operates as a network of testing locations, airspace and technical partners, while the FAA designation provides a framework for coordinating research, flight testing and experimentation, and certification flights. With its launch, the initiative is now accepting members and supporting flight-test operations, open to industry from startups and component suppliers to established aerospace and defense companies.
“Indiana's defense sector is taking off like never before as we continue to attract new assets and installations, accelerate innovation, and support industry investment,” said Governor Mike Braun at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, adding that the site positions Indiana as a defense and national security leader. U.S. Senator Todd Young, who also delivered keynote remarks, said America cannot afford to fall behind its adversaries in unmanned systems and that the test site helps ensure the next generation of drones and counter-drone technology is designed, tested and built in the United States. Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich said connecting FAA-designated test-site capabilities with the most manufacturing-intensive economy in the country creates a direct path from testing to production.
The initiative is led by the Applied Research Institute (ARI) and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), supported by partners including Purdue University, Pierce Aerospace, Windracers, the Indiana National Guard and Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane. Terre Haute Regional Airport serves as one operational hub for a mission that reaches across the Midwest and Great Lakes region, and other hubs will be announced in coming months.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：美国陆军无人机测试演习中的小型无人机（资料图）。照片：Spc. Jennifer Posy，美国陆军、公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Small drones during a U.S. Army drone-testing exercise (file photo). Photo by Spc. Jennifer Posy, U.S. Army, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
