The Unmanned Systems Research Institute (USRI) at Oklahoma State University announced in January the formation of a DOD Counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems) Center of Excellence (COE).
Created in partnership with the U.S. military and industry leaders, the center will elevate USRI’s capacity to develop state-of-the-art technology and a highly-trained workforce equipped to sustain growth well into the future.
The newly formed center of excellence aims to provide a collaborative environment to rapidly develop and test counter-UAS capabilities, and bolster the U.S. military’s ability to attract a skilled, security-cleared workforce to develop and test this technology. It will utilize resources across the state, working with industry and federal agencies to coordinate and evaluate technology to ensure the U.S. retains the lead in UAS and counter-UAS technology for the foreseeable future.
The center will have a formal grand opening in fall 2022. Although the center’s work will be performed predominantly at the EXCELSIOR lab on OSU’s Stillwater campus, the footprint of the center’s reach will extend to OSU’s facilities in Oklahoma City — such as the Hamm Institute for American Energy at Oklahoma State University — and to the U.S. Army facilities at Fort Sill.
USRI, housed in OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, will provide expertise on unmanned systems, autonomy, advanced materials and navigation solutions, as well as potential workforce candidates that will now have extensive, hands-on experience with systems and technologies developed through the COE.