The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is planning to host a panel on the current state of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the commercial and public sectors. Evans Inc., Dynamis and Noblis are hosting it May 25, Evans Inc. said.

Virginia is active in the development of UAS with the FAA, as Virginia Tech is one of the agency’s designated UAS test sites. Karen Jackson, secretary of technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia recently spoke at the Assn. for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s trade show, Xponential. Jackson sat on a VIP panel, along with representatives from BNSF Railway, University of Maryland and others, to talk about the future of UAS beyond-line-of-sight operations.

May 25’s panel in Northern Virginia is set to discuss the topic of UAS from a business perspective. Companies thinking about establishing drone operations or wanting to learn more about obtaining FAA waivers for drone operations would have their questions addressed. The panel also plans to inform attendees about aspects of UAS developments to monitor over the next year to best plan strategy and investment. Regulatory, security, operational and technological topics are all on the table.

The panel includes Victoria Cox, who has experience working in the FAA and the Air Traffic Org.; Jason Barton, who has experience developing digital workflow and asset management systems, as well as UAS video and data management; and Robert Hughes, Northrop Grumman’s senior policy advisor for airworthiness and airspace integration for both manned and unmanned aircraft. Hughes is also a member of the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee. Evan Inc.’s Bob Etris is the panel’s moderator.

Registration is open until May 22.