The National Aeronautical Centre (NAC), a rebranding of the West Wales airport and its surrounding facilities, has been unveiled at the show.
"The idea behind the NAC is that all users have a platform where they can exchange ideas and create cutting edge products and technologies in an environment perfectly suited to such development," says the centre.
West Wales Airport, located at Aberporth in Wales, is the only privately-owned airport in the UK where unmanned air vehicles are allowed to fly in segregated airspace. Current users include Thales, which builds the British army's Watchkeeper UAV, and Selex Galileo, among others.
"Today, no regulation exists anywhere in the world that allows unmanned air systems to fly beyond the visual line of sight outside segregated airspace. UAS will therefore have to go through several identified stages of testing to convince regulators they are safe if this situation is to change. The NAC is the only place this can be satisfactorily carried out," says Ray Mann, NAC's owner.
Source: Flight Daily News
