Home >> News: August 2nd, 2009 >> Story
Satnews Daily
August 2nd, 2009

U.S. Air Force to Host Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium at U of N. Dakota


U of North Dakota UASm Air Force officials will host the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium August 4 to 6 at the University of North Dakota, in which participants will address representatives of academic institutions and industry as well as local military leaders regarding the Air Force UAS vision.

Air Force leaders recently released a log-term roadmap called the "UAS Flight Plan" detailing the service's way ahead for UAS implementation.

They recognize and value the cutting edge research and development that academic and industry partners undertake in furthering the nation's military capabilities for its defense. The event will spark discussions among Department of Defense and industry representatives on UAS-related topics ranging from the growth and application of UAS-related technologies to changes in policy, doctrine, training and organization, among others, that will enable the service to realize its goals.

The event will consist of briefings by officials from key Air Force organizations related to the service's ongoing UAS efforts, as well as presentations by leading academics highlighting current research efforts. There also will be panel discussions by key Air Force and academic experts.

Distinguished guests scheduled to address the attendees include North Dakota senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, Congressman Earl Pomeroy, Governor John Hoeven and Gen. Stephen Lorenz, the Commander of Air Education and Training Command.

The objective of this three-day, invitation-only workshop is to bring together key members of the USAF and invited leaders of the national academic community in order to identify new basic research directions and funding opportunities for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in areas such as airspace integration, UAS integrated lifecycle management, UAS training, airborne networks, small UAS development, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and to introduce the Air Force Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan for 2009-2047.

Topics Include:
  • National Airspace System Integration
  • UAS Integrated Lifecycle Management
  • UAS Training
  • Airborne Networks
  • Small UAS Development
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • USAF UAS Flight Plan 2009-2047
Information regarding registration is available at.