UAS BEYOND

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES

James L. Grimsley / Executive Director – Advanced Technology Initiatives
The Choctaw Nation consists of 101⁄2

counties in the southeastern part of

Oklahoma. The Choctaw Nation is

bounded on the east by the State of

Arkansas, on the south by the Red

River, on the north by the South

Canadian, Canadian and Arkansas

Rivers. The western boundary

generally follows a line slightly west

of Durant, then due north to the

South Canadian River.

THE CHOCTAW NATION
Why?




Benz Patent-Motorwagon 1885 


Electric Propulsion
THE CHOCTAW NATION
May 2018: Choctaw Nation of 

Oklahoma selected as only tribal 

government to participate in the 

FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program 

(IPP).

October 2020: Choctaw Nation 

started the FAA BEYOND program as 

the UAS IPP ended. BEYOND 

program is 4 years.
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Emerging Aviation Technology Center

• The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) is the third largest 

federally-recognized Native American tribe in the United States.

• CNO is constructing an advanced aviation testing center located on 

44,000+ acres of tribally-owned land in Southeastern Oklahoma.

• The test range is 25 miles long and can support a variety of testing 

scenarios for emerging aviation technology such as safe beyond 

visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations of unmanned aircraft and 

rapid access to flight testing for electric vertical take-off or landing 

(eVTOL) systems.

• CNO is making considerable investments in infrastructure (buildings, 

landing facilities, ground-based radar, communications links, etc.) to 

support a variety of test activities.

• The CNO was the only tribal government selected to participate in 

the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) UAS Pilot Program 

(UASIPP) and is the only tribal government participating in the 

follow-on FAA BEYOND program.

• Package delivery, linear infrastructure inspection and weather 

research will be our focus during the BEYOND program.

Red outline 

– Ranch boundaries

White outline 

– Authorized airspace

Purple outline 

– Radar coverage
Emerging Aviation 

Technology Center
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Emerging Aviation Technology Center
ADS-B Surveillance System

Ground-Based Radar System
THE CHOCTAW NATION
“Emerging technologies can be an ‘equalizer’ for 

quality of life and safety for rural and remote 

areas.”


Other Missions
Forest Fire Missions
Pecan Grove Inspections..
Aerial Image showing Cross Member damage only observable from the air

Infrastructure Inspection
Lost puppy hiding under a tree Cattle heat signature in mountains

Search and Rescue at Night
Tornado Post-Damage Assessment Flights 
Tornado Post-Damage Assessment Flights 
Townhalls and Community Outreach

• First ever IPP community outreach meeting 

in the U.S. on July 31, 2018 in Atoka, OK

• Reached thousands of people through 

multiple townhall meetings, community 

outreach events, and many industry events
Our predictions...

• We see more activity in the near-term with crewed eVTOL

systems

• Clearer regulatory path to operations

• Can be accommodated much easier in the NAS

• UAS (and especially small UAS) will still require a few years 

before we can see regular expanded and advanced 

operations (BVLOS, etc.)

• Several rulemaking efforts must be completed first
Benefits of Emerging Aviation Technology 

for Rural and Remote Areas

• Our ground transportation network will be increasingly 

more difficult to expand and sustain in the future

• Whereas infrastructure expansions such as rural broadband 

are accelerating, ground transportation infrastructure is not.

• “Democratization” of eVTOL can greatly benefit rural, 

remote and developing areas.
Yakoke! (“Thank you!”)

James L. Grimsley

uas@choctawnation.com