Satnews Daily
February 19th, 2009

UAV Chopper Gifted To NMSU + Cal Poly By Northrop Grumman


Yamaha RMAX UAV helicopter to NMSU New Mexico State University celebrated the Week of Engineering by accepting a $200,000 Yamaha RMAX Remote Control Helicopter given to the College of Engineering by Northrop Grumman International at a ceremony on Tuesday, February 17.

NMSU was one of just three colleges to receive the donation of this helicopter from Northrop. The other two universities also receiving a similar helicopter are Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona. Northrop is focusing on promoting interest in technology, engineering and mathematics careers. The helicopter donated to NMSU is an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle, which is operated by remote control and will be used for research purposes by the College of Engineering. It will also be used to help engineering students gain more hands-on experience in the field. The Director of the Physical Science Laboratory, Jay Jordan, said the College of Engineering is currently trying to obtain certificate authorization so staff and students can fly the UAV in the Las Cruces airspace. NMSU has the only honors college for engineering in New Mexico. The engineering program is also very strong and promotes diversity.