With experts claiming it’s only a matter of time before a drone and a manned aircraft tangle, the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security are trying to stay ahead of the problem by conducting drone-detection research in the vicinity of Denver International Airport.

A House report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2016 federal appropriations law and the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 both directed the FAA to continue research into detecting unmanned aircraft in airport environments.

The program is one of a half dozen scheduled over the next 18 months to capture data and evaluate the findings before recommending industry standards for the most effective drone detection systems for all airports around the United States.

The state of Nevada and the state of North Dakota UAS Test Sites conducted flight operations for the Denver evaluations; other evaluation sites include Atlantic City International Airport, JFK International Airport, Eglin Air Force base, Helsinki Airport, and Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport. Industry partners involved in the Denver testing included CACI International, Liteye Systems and Sensofusion.