National Experts and Federal Officials to Speak at Unmanned Aircraft Systems Event

(FARGO, ND) With unmanned aircraft systems, or remotely piloted aircraft, increasingly being viewed as a major component in the next generation of aerial war-fighting and commerce alike, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Action Summit “UAS 2020 – Looking to the Future” presented by honorary co-hosts U.S. Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven in collaboration with the Red River Valley Research Corridor, will look at initiatives and programs that directly relate to the emergence of UAS in addressing issues and concerns on a national and international level.

Kicked off by AUVSI Executive Director Michael Toscano, the Summit will provide key insight by industry giants including Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and General Electric, the Summit will provide stakeholders and industry partners alike with high level information about emerging trends in mitigation efforts, sensor use and applications, maintenance issues and initiatives related to UAS access to the National Airspace and overviews of current platforms and projects that impact the ability of UAS to make an impact in our everyday lives.

Military and Homeland Security program overviews will be presented by Col. James Gear, the Director of USAF RPA Task Force and Maj. Gregory Fortier, leading the US Army Aviation Flight Test Directorate, and the Department of Homeland Security. Insight to the recent FAA Reauthorization – and information about the (potential) development of test sites for accessing the national airspace will presented by FAA regulatory and air traffic experts Richard Prosek and Dean Fulmer (invited).

“This summit will highlight the extraordinary initiatives being pursued by individual companies, university research centers, local government, and the federal government to advance the unmanned systems industry. There is a lot going in North Dakota and Minnesota which has positioned the region to become a hub of UAS activity.” said Delore Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Red River Valley Research Corridor.

Registration and more information regarding the event can be found on the Web by visiting www.theresearchcorridor.com/