On Thursday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced two new UAS test sites, marking the first new testing grounds since 2016. The two test sites, which are the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, bring the total number of test sites in the U.S. up to nine.

The main objective of the UAS Test Site Program, according to its official webpage, is to “provide verification of the safety of public and civil UAS, operations, and related navigation procedures before their integration into the NAS.” With the FAA passing an NPRM for BVLOS operations in August of 2025, and the final ruling expected to come down at some point this year, the need for expanded testing becomes even more important as potential use cases for the technology continue to grow. As part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the FAA Administrator was authorized to designate up to two new UAS test ranges.

“From delivering lifesaving medicine to surveying pipelines, drones are already reshaping industries and changing how people and products interact. It’s our job to make sure the United States safely leads the way with this exciting technology – not China,” said Duffy in a statement. “We’ve added these new test sites to help us gather critical data and test new systems so we can safely unleash innovation in our skies.” 

“These test sites help the U.S. assess emerging technologies to modernize methods for cargo delivery, Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations and multiple drone operations while informing safety and security,” added Bedford. “Together, we will usher in the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into our NAS.”  

The addition of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma test site comes on the heels of its new Emerging Aviation Technology Center in Daisy, Oklahoma, which officially opened in June of 2025. In Indiana, meanwhile, the state’s Congressional delegation, led by Senator Todd Young, had been “urging” the FAA to name Indiana as one of the two new national drone test sites.

“Indiana is uniquely situated to best assist the FAA in integrating UAS into the national airspace system as well as advance the United States’ capacities for manufacturing and deploying drone technologies,” the delegation said in a letter to Bedford sent in December.

 Along with these two additions, the following locations make up the remaining seven:

  • Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, AK 
  • Northern Plains UAS Test Site, ND 
  • New Mexico State University UAS Test Site, NM 
  • State of Nevada UAS Test Site, NV 
  • New York UAS Test Site, NY 
  • Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Autonomy Research Institute, TX 
  • Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, VA

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation