Virginia Tech Unveils New Drone Research Center To Bolster National Security
Last week, Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) and Virginia Tech’s National Security Institute in partnership with the United States Army opened a Counter-UAS Testing Research Center, where the nation’s detection systems can be tested, evaluated, and improved. The ribbon cutting ceremony featured speeches from University President Tim Sands, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith.
“This project allows the United States to be ready for attacks on our homeland or overseas conflicts,” Griffith said. “And, this facility will make Virginia one of the best places to do that kind of research and to have us prepared.”
Easy to buy, build, and fly drones are changing the way modern wars are fought. Drones provide both surveillance and attack capabilities. The war of Russian aggression in Ukraine has shown the potency of these modern weapons.
“One of our biggest vulnerabilities is counter drone activities and this kind of experimentation is extraordinarily important for our defense and protection of the nation," Warner said. “We also have to make sure that we use unmanned systems in an effective, efficient way and I can’t think of a better way to do that kind of testing and experimentation than here at Kentland Farm on Virginia Tech’s campus.”
Although there are multiple counter-UAS testing sites around the country, Virginia Tech’s is unique because it combines MAAP’s expertise in aviation testing and evaluation with VTNSI’s expertise in applied national security research, according to Austin Phoenix, director of the Mission Systems Division at VTNSI.
The MAAP is one of nine Federal Aviation Administration designated UAS test sites and has a proven track record over the last decade of partnering with government agencies, developing a deep expertise in evaluating counter UAS systems. The Virginia Tech National Security Institute is home to some of the nation’s top research faculty in autonomy, spectrum dominance, cyber security and resilience, artificial intelligence, test and evaluation, and machine learning, among other critical national security focused research areas.
“The new center is unique in terms of the breadth of counter-UAS challenges that we're able to tackle at a single site,” Phoenix said. “And that brings together an opportunity for fundamental research to be matured and integrated into real world systems to rapidly advance the state of the art.”
The research site is equipped with several key features:
An indoor lab to measure the telltale signals that UAS emit.
A virtual environment to model complex drone threats and real-world environments.
An outdoor range that pairs synthetic drone emulators, relevant flight paths, and advanced UAS to enable realistic real-world mission replication.
A network of sensors spread across the range that keeps a precise record of exactly where each drone is and how it is being seen by the center’s sensors, to measure the performance of counter-drone systems, sensors, and algorithms.
A growing library of test drones that includes off-the-shelf commercial models, hobbyist kit-built aircraft, and electronically simulated and custom-built advanced UAS.
The center marks more than a year's worth of work since the project was first announced in May 2025 with a $5 million award from the U.S. Army Futures Command Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center. While working alongside the U.S. Army, the effort has received support from members of Virginia’s congressional delegation, including Senators Warner and Tim Kaine and Representatives Griffith, Rob Wittman, Don Beyer, Ben Cline, Jen Kiggans, and John McGuire.
