U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, a member of the Senate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Caucus, on Monday announced that Kansas is one of the top ten states predicted to see enormous economic and job creation impact as production of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) increase. In the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) report titled Economic Benefits of UAS Integration in National Airspace, Kansas is ranked #7, with a total projected economic impact of $2.941 billion and an estimated 3,716 new jobs created between 2015 and 2025.

“The economic impact the UAS industry will have for Kansas is immeasurable, and this news underscores the fact that Kansas is making incredible progress in UAS’ emerging aviation enterprise,” Sen. Moran said. “Kansas already boasts the necessary attributes to manage UAS activities: airspace for UAS operations; multiple airport support facilities; university research and development on sensors, airframes, and engines; university flight and operations training; and avionics development and manufacturing capabilities. The FAA still has much to do to make certain UAS is properly incorporated and accounted for in our national airspace, but the future for UAS in Kansas – the Air Capital of the World – is bright.”