The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration have kicked off a drone detection research around Denver as part of an effort to explore technologies the agencies believe could help detect unmanned aircraft systems near airports.
The FAA said Wednesday the research being conducted in the vicinity of Denver International Airport aims to collect data from the tests and draft recommendations for standards that are meant to inform the choice of UAS-detection systems for airports nationwide.
Both Nevada and North Dakota launched drone flights for the Denver evaluations in collaboration with CACI International, Liteye Systems and Sensofusion.
The study is part of the FAA’s Pathfinder Program for UAS detection at airports and critical infrastructure, with a total of six technical evaluations set to occur over an 18-month period.
The FAA plans to conduct similar evaluations at Atlantic City International Airport, JFK International Airport, Eglin Air Force Base, Helsinki Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
The agency will perform the assessments in coordination with other federal research partners such as the Defense Department, FBI, Federal Communications Commission, Interior Department, Energy Department, NASA, Justice Department, Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police.
