What if drone operators could plug directly into a pre-built, FAA-approved ecosystem with live radar coverage, secured data channels, and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) authorisation already in place?
That future isn’t far off. In fact, it’s already being shaped by NUAIR, which has enabled over 6,000 BVLOS flights to date in New York State’s 450-square-mile drone corridor.
At Airspace World 2025 in Lisbon, DroneTalks Co-founder and CEO Eszter Kovács met with John Gustafson, Director of Product Development and Technology at NUAIR, to discuss how the organisation is moving from research to real-world operations. From advanced safety cases to real-time detection and monitoring, NUAIR is enabling the infrastructure that allows drone operators to scale commercially and legally in complex US airspace.
NUAIR's scalable UAS integration through data and operational experience
NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance) is a nonprofit coalition created by the State of New York to drive safe, scalable integration of drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) into US airspace. Originally tasked with managing one of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s seven UAS test sites, NUAIR has evolved into a national leader in operational infrastructure and BVLOS enablement.
Today, NUAIR operates a 50-mile, 450-square-mile UAS corridor between Syracuse and Rome, NY, which has been designated by the FAA as a test bed for UAS integration. Within this corridor, it has supported over 6,000 FAA-wavered BVLOS flights, demonstrating technologies such as detect-and-avoid, UTM services, and unmanned traffic monitoring in controlled and uncontrolled environments.
Rather than a test range, this is a fully operational zone where commercial, military, and emergency response aircraft share airspace, and where real data informs the FAA’s future regulatory frameworks.
Central to this capability is the Centre of Excellence for Advanced Air Mobility at Syracuse International Airport, where NUAIR leads coordination with the FAA, NASA, and the Department of Defense. Their digital infrastructure enables live surveillance, real-time deconfliction, and advanced safety monitoring for uncrewed traffic; making NUAIR one of the most advanced UAS infrastructure providers in the country.
Through partnerships with companies like Hidden Level, Aloft, and SRC, NUAIR has created a ready-to-use digital airspace management platform that serves both government and commercial use cases. Whether supporting hospital deliveries, military flight validation, or commercial drone delivery trials, NUAIR’s infrastructure is setting the standard for the next generation of drone-enabled services in the US and beyond.
Moving beyond the test site: A commercial-first mindset
As John explained during the interview, NUAIR’s evolution away from test-site management has been driven by a desire to focus on operational outcomes.
“NUAIR was managing the test site at Griffiths Airport for the last 10 years. Since then, NUAIR has peeled off from managing the test site because we feel that commercial outcomes are more opportunistic, and a lot of the data that’s collected during testing cannot be used toward commercial aspects,” he explained.
Recognising the growing demand for operational flexibility, the team asked an important question: How can we utilise these assets to enable people to begin commercial operations, particularly for services like parcel delivery and similar applications?
This shift reflects a broader industry truth: Infrastructure for drone testing doesn’t always translate into commercial readiness. NUAIR chose to pivot by taking its radar assets, safety procedures, and secured airspace to build something new: an operational ecosystem designed to support delivery, inspection, and dual-use operations at scale.
An integrated ecosystem built for scale
At the heart of NUAIR’s infrastructure is a single-pane interface that integrates inputs from radar, ADS-B, remote ID, and passive RF detection. Their X-band radar network provides overlapping coverage, filling in gaps where ADS-B is absent — a crucial capability in Class G airspace, which represents most of the low-altitude national airspace.
Rather than having operators juggle multiple systems, NUAIR centralises the data into a cloud-based platform requiring no on-premise hardware. This Level-3-secure, web-accessible platform forms the foundation of the FAA-approved Zero Conflict Area, enabling live tracking, management, and auditing of all airspace activity.
“There’s a lot of technologies that have multiple interfaces, and we have multiple APIs coming into one common operating picture. So, a user can log in to one system and not have four different systems to log into,” he added.
This single-view architecture, built in collaboration with data partner Hidden Level, meets Level 3 security standards and forms the digital foundation of NUAIR’s Zero Conflict Area; enabling live tracking, management and auditing of all activity.
Detect and avoid: Enabling safe BVLOS operations
NUAIR’s detect-and-avoid capabilities combine radar, ADS-B, and RF detection to maintain visibility of both manned and unmanned aircraft. Their passive RF detection system monitors frequencies from 2.4 GHz to 5.8 GHz, identifying unauthorised or non-compliant operations and enabling real-time alerts to authorities when needed.
This safety case has earned NUAIR an FAA BVLOS waiver for routine flights in the corridor — an achievement only a handful of US entities have obtained. By providing visibility even in low-ADS-B environments, they are setting a precedent for scalable BVLOS operations across the US.
“We’ve deployed a passive radio frequency detection at Syracuse Airport that detects all ISM, instrument, scientific, and meteorological bands such as 2.4 gigahertz up to 5.8 gigahertz, which are the common frequencies used for controlling most drones,” explained John.
That is, if someone is operating without remote ID in a critical area such as the terminal area of the airport, NUAIR can see their location, the hand controller, and the drone; and then be able to inform the local police or authorities.
That capability not only enhances security, but it also opens new use cases. Whether for sensitive facilities, other airports, or city corridors, NUAIR is customising these tools to enable safe commercial operations at scale.
“This is all wavered airspace to Part 107 regulations, and we were able to get those privileges through our safety case by using these multiple sources of input, specifically the radars," explained John.
In US Class G airspace, where many small drones fly, not all manned aircraft are equipped with ADS-B. NUAIR fills that visibility gap with radar-based detection, which is critical in regions where ADS-B coverage is sparse:
“In the United States, not every aircraft has to have ADS-B out. We have a lot of Class G airspace out here that we still need to be able to see those aircraft. And we do that by using the radars,” he added.
This layered approach is what earned them a zero-conflict safety case from the FAA, allowing live BVLOS flights as long as manned aircraft can be avoided with verified clearance. This creates a new standard for safety-based, operational approvals that others can follow.
Dual-use airspace in action
NUAIR’s model is stress-tested in some of the most complex shared airspace in the US. At Syracuse Airport, they operate alongside military MQ-9 Reapers, commercial flights and civilian UAS:
“What’s unique about Syracuse Airport is we have MQ-9s from the 174th Attack Wing, National Air Guard Wing; we have civilian UAS, and we have traditional manned traffic. We work with them digitally through advisories over the radio,” explained John.
The interface is fully colour-coded for situational awareness. That way, the operator can quickly look and see what traffic is and isn't relevant.
While integration with ATC towers is not yet permitted, this dual-use environment reflects the future of integrated airspace. By coordinating through digital advisories and maintaining real-time visibility, NUAIR proves that manned and unmanned operations can co-exist safely.
Scaling towards heavier aircraft and broader coverage
NUAIR’s roadmap is clear: Expand the capabilities of their radar-based infrastructure to support more complex missions and heavier aircraft.
“We’re offering interoperability between Class 1 up to Class 3 UAS. We’re working on an approval for what’s called a ‘higher heavier’, so we can start flying up to — I believe it’s a 1300 LB aircraft,” said John.
The team is also expanding its geographic footprint, creating longer corridors for higher-endurance drones. One key use case already being supported is medical delivery:
“Medical delivery is a big thing in the area. We have a local hospital that is out of Syracuse that actually is starting to do this,” he elaborated.
To help accelerate such missions, NUAIR is launching the Near-Term Approval Process (NTAP) for UTM Services; a service model that allows commercial operators to access radar data via API and integrate it into their own safety cases.
“If you had your own USS, and you wanted to fly package delivery; we could pipe through API the data, and then you could use the radar data for your safety case and be able to commercialise and start actually anywhere in the US,” added John.
This approach not only reduces operational overhead but enables safe, approved BVLOS operations for commercial players who might not have access to radar networks of their own.
Infrastructure that makes drone operations repeatable and reliable
What NUAIR is building in New York isn’t just a drone testing corridor. It’s a fully integrated digital infrastructure for commercial drone aviation.
With thousands of live BVLOS flights already completed, radar-backed safety cases approved, and interoperability at the core of their architecture, NUAIR is showing the rest of the world what scalable UAS integration can look like.
“The whole purpose is to be able to take all these different components and have them be able to work — full interoperability between these different components,” said John.
As the drone industry continues to mature and push toward wider BVLOS adoption and more complex missions, NUAIR is positioning itself as a turnkey infrastructure provider that can help drone operators scale with confidence.
From defence readiness to medical delivery, NUAIR demonstrates how real-world infrastructure, not just software or policy, will unlock the full potential of AAM.
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