Newswise — A three-star Air Force general will be keynote speaker for an early April national symposium at Mississippi State on remotely piloted aircraft.
Titled "Academic Opportunities: Developing the Future of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Remotely Piloted Aircraft," the U.S. Air Force-organized, invitation-only conference takes place April 7 and 8 at the university's Hunter Henry Center.
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, will discuss research advances in the high-technology aviation field.
Deptula is responsible for assisting the Defense Department in policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. A University of Virginia graduate in astronomy and systems engineering, he has served on two separate commissions responsible for outlining America's future defense plans. He also is a national security strategy graduate of the National War College.
Deptula, whose presentation takes place on the 7th, will be among some 200 military leaders, government officials and members of academia gathering to help update the Air Force's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan for 2009-47.
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Defense subcommittee, led in advocating MSU and the Golden Triangle as hosts for the event.
"This conference will give Mississippi State University, Columbus Air Force Base and the whole Golden Triangle region a chance to shine as a hub in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and remote piloted aircraft," Cochran said. "For the Air Force, I believe it will find that the cooperative support among Mississippi's military, educational and business communities will contribute to a world-class conference."
While Cochran will be unable to attend, three members of Mississippi's congressional delegation will: U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper and U.S. Rep. Travis Childers.
The workshop brings together key members of the Air Force and invited leaders of the national academic community to discuss basic research directions for unmanned aircraft systems and remotely piloted aircraft in areas such as airspace integration, autonomy, swarming, communications/signal processing, and sense and avoid.
MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the conference also will allow university researchers to showcase innovations related to aerospace engineering and remotely piloted aircrafts.
"High-tech research activities, performed by world-class faculty and staff, have enabled Mississippi State to play an important role in advancing this vital national security component," Keenum said. "Our collaborations have strengthened national defense and provided significant economic development opportunities."
David Shaw, the university's vice president of research and economic development, said connecting military leaders with the land-grant institution's many resources could provide numerous opportunities for future partnerships.
"From flight simulators to high-tech sensor technology and national expertise, our researchers produce results that help the nation," Shaw said. "We look forward to exploring potential partnerships."
Shaw noted that the Golden Triangle Regional Global Industrial Aerospace Park in neighboring Lowndes County already is home to a cluster of companies focused on high-tech, remote-piloted aircraft.
MSU's Raspet Research Flight Laboratory served as an incubator for two of the companies, Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences, Shaw said.
The official Web site for the event is http://www.hpc.msstate.edu/UAS/.
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