Raspet’s UAS Delta region initiation

STARVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University is again using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) expertise and resources to benefit the Magnolia State. Its Raspet Flight Research Laboratory recently launched its Delta Region Initiative in Greenwood; and is partnering with eight Mississippi Delta counties - Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, Grenada, Leflore, Sunflower, Tallahatchie and Washington - to determine areas where UAS can support fire and disaster response, and other uses like monitoring dams and levees. MSU has certified authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that allows the university to fly UAS over the 5,000-square-mile Delta region, which includes a part of Arkansas, allowing monitoring on both sides of the Mississippi River. UAS flight crews have been in Greenwood regularly in recent months at the Greenwood-Leflore Airport, which was hosting training and acceptance flights for Raspet center’s new TigerShark XP3 unmanned aircraft. In February, UAS flight crews surveyed flooding in the Greenwood area. “Our goal is to provide imagery in real time, so flooding can be predicted and reported to tell you where the water is going, where you need to evacuate and what roads need to be shut down,” said Raspet Flight Research Lab Director Dallas Brooks. Since 2015, the Raspet has received or is programmed for up to $44M in federal research and testing contracts. The center conducts research to support the Defense Department, FAA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). MSU is the lead university for the FAA Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Resrch Excellence (ASSURE)’ and leads the DHS Common UAS Test Site. MSU also works with Mississippi economic development officials to support the state’s growing aerospace industry. (Source: MSU 03/20/19)