A $5-million Texas state grant will fund unmanned aircraft system (UAS) training, production, and battery development programs involving Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texarkana College, and Red River Army Depot.
The funding, awarded through the Texas Military Preparedness Commission’s Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance program, will be administered by the Ark-Tex Council of Governments.
It supports efforts to strengthen US military UAS capabilities through workforce development and technical research.
Under the program, Texas A&M University-Texarkana will focus on battery design and testing. Texarkana College will develop drone production courses, and Red River Army Depot will handle defense-related program components.
The initiative will expand training opportunities for both students and working engineers and add new certification pathways in battery systems and integrate unmanned aircraft training into existing engineering programs.
University Role in Drone, Battery Research
The US Department of Defense has increased collaboration with universities to advance unmanned aircraft systems, with funding directed toward research in autonomy, propulsion, and energy storage.
The Pentagon launched the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics, which includes multiple academic institutions contributing to advanced aerospace and propulsion research relevant to unmanned platforms.
The US Navy has partnered with Brigham Young University to develop algorithms improving coordination and navigation of autonomous underwater drones, under a program that integrates students into defense research.
Purdue University also collaborated with the Department of Defense to make military drone software more resilient against hacking and cyber threats.
