Thales, NASA Team Up on Drone Traffic Management Tech Development

Thales and NASA have agreed to work together to advance the development of an unmanned aircraft system traffic management platform designed to advance the integration of drones into the national airspace system.

The company said Tuesday it will leverage its experience in UTM development and create jobs in New York through the Space Act Agreement with NASA.

Thales will work with the space agency to research, develop and test low-altitude airspace control of drones that fly at 400 feet and build a UTM platform that can be deployed in NAS by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2019.

“NASA, the FAA and its partners including Thales, are working to extend the beneficial and innovative applications of small UAS, while respecting long-standing traditions of safety,” said Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales’ U.S. arm.

The company will also collaborate with Griffiss International Airport, Syracuse University, CenterState CEO, NUAIR Alliance, Empire State Development and other NASA partners to advance the development of the UTM system in New York and support FAA’s integration efforts for its System Wide Information Management initiative.