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Kansas lawmakers hear industry plan to expand drone and advanced air mobility testing and infrastructure
Summary
Industry, universities and military representatives told the Committee on Transportation that Kansas can lead advanced air mobility testing if the state coordinates radar coverage, vertiport pilots and workforce incentives; speakers highlighted a $3 million legislative investment in BVLOS radar and urged a phased, ROI‑focused statewide plan.
Industry and university officials told the Committee on Transportation on Jan. 20 that Kansas is well positioned to expand advanced air mobility (AAM) and unmanned aviation testing, but that realizing economic and public‑safety benefits will require coordinated state infrastructure and regulatory engagement.
Ray Sief, director of aviation, opened the presentation by listing state and academic partners and said the state has produced an AAM roadmap that lays out near‑term and longer‑term activities to enable operations, connect stakeholders, develop workforce pipelines and ready infrastructure. "We need to look at infrastructure both on and off airport — physical and digital — and the technology gaps that support specific operations," Sief said.
Travis Balthazar of Kansas State University (K‑State Salina) told the committee that Kansas’ geography, airspace and aviation supply chain make it a natural place to test a range of…
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