Manufacturing News
October 30, 2026
October 30, 2026 · Vigo County · Story 2 of 3
Midwest UAS Test Site Goes Live at Terre Haute
The Midwest UAS Test Site of Indiana opened October 29 at Terre Haute Regional Airport, operated jointly by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Applied Research Institute. It is one of nine FAA-designated drone test sites nationwide, and its stated edge is kinetic and counter-UAS testing rights in National Guard airspace over Camp Atterbury, a capability the site's director says exists nowhere else in the country.
North Dakota's competing Vantis network already runs live commercial drone delivery and has a six-figure head start in coverage area and funding. And the drone that flew Terre Haute's launch demonstration was built by Windracers, a UK company, a detail worth checking against any "American-made" framing before a defense-adjacent supplier signs on to test here.
- Impact
- North Dakota's Vantis network is already ahead on the commercial side: 5,000 square miles of coverage backed by $164 million and live BVLOS pharmacy-delivery flights with CVS Health in September 2026, but Indiana's unmatched differentiator is military-kinetic and counter-UAS testing at Camp Atterbury, a capability no other U.S. test site offers. There's also an under-reported tension: the 'large-scale drone' that flew the launch demonstration was made by Windracers, a UK-headquartered company, which cuts against the 'American-made' framing in Indiana's congressional application letter and is a detail defense-prime members with export-control programs will need to scrutinize before signing on.
- Watch
- Announcement of additional operational hubs 'in coming months' and progress on final FAA approval of the 225-mile BVLOS corridor.
- For the huddle
Should we explore test-site membership now (before the FAA's pending Part 108 BVLOS rule locks in standards based on data generated here) for applications in ag logistics, defense supply, or counter-UAS on our own production lines?
If your operation touches ag logistics, defense supply, or counter-UAS, worth exploring membership now, since standards developed through the FAA's pending Part 108 rulemaking will likely draw on data generated at sites like this one.
Sources
- Midwest UAS Test Site launches at Terre Haute Regional Airport, putting Indiana on front lines of drone technology - WTHI-TV · wthitv.com
Earlier coverage
From the brief, October 30, 2026
- Indiana Launches $10.79 Million ADAPT Grant for Auto Suppliers
- Midwest UAS Test Site Goes Live at Terre Haute
- ICRF Names Former Superintendent to Lead Construction Workforce Pipeline
This story
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