U.S. Senator Young leads delegation letter of support for Indiana drone test site application

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) led a letter in support of the application submitted by Hoosier stakeholders for Indiana to be a recipient of one of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Test Site designations. This letter was signed by the entire Indiana congressional delegation.

“Indiana is uniquely situated to best assist the FAA in integrating UAS into the national airspace system as well as advance the United States’ capacities for manufacturing and deploying drone technologies. Between the geographical location in the heart of the Midwest, the already numerous testing assets for a variety of missions, and state and federal representatives who are committed to supporting advancement of these critical technologies, our state is poised to provide the best outcomes for American leadership in drone manufacturing and deployment,” the Indiana congressional delegation wrote in its support letter.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 authorized the FAA to establish two additional test sites to its existing UAS Test Site program. If selected as one of the new test sites, Indiana would play a critical role in reestablishing U.S. drone dominance, and it would open doors for Hoosier universities, state and federal government entities, and manufacturers to collaborate on new drone technologies. The test site would also complement the executive order on drones signed by Indiana Governor Mike Braun in October that Senator Young helped develop.

The full delegation support letter is available here.
In addition to Senator Young, the letter was signed by Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Representatives Frank Mrvan (D-IN-01), Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02), Marlin Stutzman (R-IN-03), Jim Baird (R-IN-04), Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-06), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Mark Messmer (R-IN-08), and Erin Houchin (R-IN-09).

As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Young is working on drone issues at the federal level.