Commission approves up to $2 million for radar at Tulsa drone‑port for UAS infrastructure project

The commission approved a request on March 11 to purchase radar infrastructure for Trustworthy Autonomy (THETA) at the Tulsa Innovation Labs drone‑port, a drone industrial park known as Skyway 36.

Director Grayson Artis described the UAS/AAM program as a three‑project portfolio that includes Burns Flat test sites, the Tulsa drone‑port partnership and a Camp Gruber National Guard test site. For the Tulsa project staff proposed buying a long‑range phased‑array radar to support beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight operations and both commercial and public‑safety use cases; the requested purchase was “not to exceed $2,000,000” from recurring appropriations. The commission approved the purchase by roll call.

Artis said the radar will support drone delivery, first‑responder UAS missions and other advanced air mobility activity as Tulsa builds a concentrated drone ecosystem. He characterized the radar as "a fairly long range radar when it comes to UAS AAM," and said staff had received vendor quotes and federal appropriations for other UAS infrastructure projects.

Why it matters: State participation in radar infrastructure helps Tulsa pursue beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight drone operations and positions the region as a testing and commercial hub in advanced air mobility efforts. The purchase uses recurring state appropriations previously allocated for UAS/AAM infrastructure.

Next steps: Staff will finalize procurement and coordinate radar siting and integration with local partners at Skyway 36; grant oversight and installation timelines were not specified in the meeting record.