Pendleton UAS Range welcomes new partner
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
News release from the city of Pendleton and SIGMADESIGN
PENDLETON – SIGMADESIGN expands its services in partnership with the Pendleton Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Range. The Pendleton UAS Range (PUR) is the leading business-friendly testing and development range in the nation. PUR provides a fast, cost-effective experience to facilitate successful and safe integration into the national airspace system (NAS). The range covers 14,000 sq. mi. of FAA-approved airspace, and operations are allowed from surface to 15,000 ft. MSL.
SIGMADESIGN is working with the City of Pendleton to develop support services at the Range to serve customer needs on-site by providing part or component repairs, builds, engineering and development. A shop facility at PUR is being added along with access to product development support services. UAS products currently being tested at the range include innovations in defense, technology, agriculture, communications, and medical industries. This partnership will provide enhanced engineering, integration, CAD modeling, and rapid prototyping.
Darryl Abling, UAS Range Manager, states, “The Pendleton UAS Range is excited about the capabilities that our partnership with SIGMADESIGN will bring to our range users! Range users will now be able to tap directly into SIGMADESIGN’s extensive fabrication and engineering capabilities which will improve their efficiency and reduce downtime.”
Not only will this new arrangement benefit UAS Range customers, it will have economic and community benefits. Economic Development Director & Airport Manager at the City of Pendleton, Steve Chrisman, notes, “SIGMADESIGN’s arrival is an absolute game-changer. The Pendleton UAS Range is attracting many innovators to rural Oregon, but limited access to professional support services and supply chains can slow the development process, and delays cost money. Having world-class design, engineering, and fabrication services just steps from where you’re conducting your R&D is not something very many places can claim, but that’ll be a reality here now.”
SIGMADESIGN has project experience with UAS industry clients and has been involved in associations that support the industry for many years. The Associations include the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA), the Association for Un-crewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC), and the Gorge Technology Alliance (GTA). This involvement has provided many collaborative project opportunities which support and promote communities in the UAS and robotics industries.
Erica Bogard, a Business Development Manager at SIGMADESIGN, states, “The SIGMADESIGN collaboration with the City of Pendleton creates unique innovation opportunities for business in Eastern Oregon and beyond. Being at the forefront of supporting evolving technology in this growing industry strengthens businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest and influences others to bring technology to our region. It’s pretty exciting to think about the different possibilities as well as the problems we can help solve with boots on the ground in Pendleton.”
Photo via SIGMADESIGN: From left to right Pendleton Economic Development Director Steve Chrisman, PUR Chief Engineer Steve Lawn, SIGMADESIGN Business Development Manager Erica Bogard, and SIGMADESIGN Vice President of Business Development Joby Easton.
