HR381 Summary

• Encourages a partnership between the State of Alabama and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to select Huntsville, Alabama, as a location for an unmanned aircraft system test site.

• Congress has directed the FAA to establish six test sites within five years to address research, development, and operational issues for integrating unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System.

• Huntsville possesses significant advantages including the University of Alabama in Huntsville's research programs in unmanned aerial systems and rotorcraft engineering, plus federal resources at Redstone Arsenal including the U.S. Army Program Management for Small Unmanned Aerial Systems.

• The greater Huntsville area is home to more than 200 companies with unmanned aircraft systems expertise in platforms, sensors, training, operations, and simulation integration.

• Huntsville offers unrestricted national airspace structure and a highly qualified workforce to effectively support a test site and advance domestic aviation activities.