The NUAIR Alliance has opened the evaluation and selection process of vendor(s) for the design and installation of Phase II of its BVLOS Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) test corridor.

Building off of the recently launched Phase I of the corridor around Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York, the second phase will complete the corridor, which will facilitate testing of UAS platforms and sensors in the airspace between Rome and Syracuse, New York.

“The development of Phase II of the UTM corridor will build on the successful launch of the first phase of the project, last month,” says Central New York Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, and Dr. Danielle LaraqueArena, president of Upstate Medical University.

The request for qualifications (RFQ), which was released on Oct. 13, is the first step in this process. The most qualified respondents to the RFQ will be identified by the NUAIR Alliance, and those respondents will then be asked to submit a formal proposal.

The RFQ period will be open until Nov. 30.

“We are actively seeking partners to help us execute the next phase of this leading BVLOS UTM research and testing corridor,” says Larry Brinker, Interim President and CEO of the NUAIR Alliance.

“We are looking for innovative and ambitious companies who can best advance our efforts to make Central New York and the Mohawk Valley a hub of this technology and create industry-leading solutions which will enable the safe integration of UAS platforms into the nation’s airspace.”

As the “most advanced drone testing corridor in the nation,” the first-of-its-kind BVLOS UTM Corridor will give companies the opportunity to test both UAS platforms and UTM technologies in “real world settings, generating data that will inform and advance commercial use of drones.”

​The UTM corridor is possible thanks in large part to New York State’s commitment to the UAS industry, and Howard Zemsky, president, CEO & commissioner of Empire State Development, wants to make sure that the area is a leader in an industry that continues to grow.

“New York State’s strategic, multi-million dollar investment in the drone corridor through the CNY Rising initiative will ensure that the region is at the forefront of this burgeoning industry,” Zemsky says.

“The innovative applications for UAS are limitless and will continue to have a significant impact on the Upstate economy for years to come.”