Indiana Opens US Drone Test Site That Plans Kinetic Testing Under a Civil Program
A Purdue University-owned Windracers ULTRA drone made the first flight on October 29 at Indiana's new FAA-designated test site. The site's director says it will also host kinetic and counter-drone testing, though the FAA describes the program as civil.
A Purdue University-owned Windracers ULTRA cargo drone flew the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight in the Indiana Drone Corridor in the United States on October 29. The British-made aircraft covered more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Terre Haute Regional Airport and dropped parachute boxes from its cargo bay as Governor Mike Braun, Senator Todd Young and Representative Mark Messmer watched. The flight opened the Midwest UAS Test Site of Indiana, one of two sites the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated in January, which brings its test-site network to nine after nearly a decade without additions.
A civil program with kinetic testing
The FAA describes the program as support for public and civil unmanned aircraft and for the safe integration of drones into the National Airspace System. Test site director Dale Lyles told broadcaster WTHI that the site is partnered with the Indiana National Guard and will use special-use airspace over Camp Atterbury for "kinetic testing as well as counter-UAS testing." The site's website lists defense and counter-UAS first among its capability areas. The FAA's January release does not mention kinetic testing.
The day before the opening, Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle designated Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck as premier, permissive sites for commercial drone and counter-drone testing. Camp Atterbury has more than 34,000 acres and restricted airspace up to 40,000 feet (12,192 meters).
The aircraft and its use
The ULTRA has an aluminum airframe, a 33-foot (10-meter) wingspan and three cargo bays. The current Mk2 version carries 441 pounds (200 kilograms) over 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers). Windracers has flown the aircraft in Ukraine since 2023. In Indiana it will now be tested for dropping emergency supplies to communities hit by seasonal flooding.
Neither Windracers nor Purdue named the FAA authorization for the flight. The FAA's Part 108 BVLOS rule has been under White House review since July 10.
Oversight
The Applied Research Institute, a Bloomington nonprofit, runs the site with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Both were subjects of a forensic review by FTI Consulting, published October 2, which raised findings on conflicts of interest, compliance and financial oversight.
