New York State is set to invest $9 million to transform an unoccupied hangar at Griffiss International Airport.
The funds will help establish “Skydome," a new indoor drone testing and research facility open throughout the year.
"You might have 100 drones inside, doing all kinds of tests to make sure they work correctly in the right environment here and can deal with GPS jamming and things like that,” said Mohawk Valley Edge President Steven DiMeo.
The facility is set to be the largest of its kind in the United States. The project comes as the Mohawk Valley continues seeing investments in drone technology.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is confident this initiative will continue economic and technological growth throughout the region.
"This investment continues that path, and I believe will set us apart and lead to more growth in terms of the economy, and also make us a hub for research and development," Picente said.
Skydome will continue the research already being done at the airport. Griffiss is one of just seven FAA-designated UAS test sites in the country.
The investment will be discussed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in the State of the State later this week.