Small Unmanned Arial Systems (sUAS) Degraded Environment Flight Facility

Thanks to Congressional support and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) investments, a state-of-the-art Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) Degraded Environment Facility (UxSDEF) is being constructed at the Memphis Detachment. This facility will provide basic test capabilities on the impact of wind, rain, and fog on drones and other autonomous vehicles. In partnership with the NSWC, the University of Memphis is proposing an expansion of this facility to cover additional mission-relevant testing conditions that can only be performed in the Memphis detachment. This expansion will allow for a much larger variety of UAS platforms to be tested in additional degraded environments and will benefit not only the Department of Defense but first responders and emergency management personnel

Impact on the Department of Defense and National Security

Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) are rapidly becoming a common tool for missions involving intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in both military and civilian domains. However, the application of these systems is limited in environmental conditions such as winds, rain, dust, fog, and other constraints. Thanks to a newly constructed UAS Degraded Environment Facility (UxSDEF) in the Memphis detachment, basic test capabilities are now available which allows for the development of the next generation of UAS systems that can operate in degraded environments. This FY24 request includes a significant expansion of the UxSDEF to include the acquisition and development of outdoor space for the operation of fixed-wing and other classes of drones, a mobile ship landing simulator, an amphibious testing facility, multidirectional wind walls, a flight in confined space facility (simulate flight in caves, tunnels, etc.), and a non-metallic roof replacement to allow the use of normal GPS. There is currently no facility like the UxSDEF in the DoD and it will play an important role in developing the next generation of drone technology for our armed services

Economic Impact and Benefit to Tennessee

This initiative will further position Memphis and the greater Shelby County region as a center of research focused on improving the design and operability of UAS in degraded environments important to the Navy and other DoD services. This facility will become a standard in UAS testing for DoD services and their contractors and will also benefit first responders and emergency management personnel who need to operate UAS in times of weather-related emergencies. In addition, the UxSDEF will create a long-term pipeline of opportunities and training for students and engineers for careers in drones and autonomous vehicles