"Odisha announces plans for a National UAV Test and Innovation Corridor to drive drone research and development."

Odisha has unveiled plans to set up the National UAV Test and Innovation Corridor at Rangeilunda, which will become India’s first operational commercial airport to be repurposed as a live drone testing site.

Under the initiative, unmanned aerial vehicles will be tested in real, dynamic airspace rather than in fenced-off laboratory environments, marking a shift in how next-generation aerial systems are validated and scaled in India. The announcement was made at Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad.

Speaking at a signing ceremony with BonV Aero, Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Transport Department, Government of Odisha, said the state was laying the foundation for the next phase of mobility infrastructure. She said Rangeilunda would serve as a national proving ground where regulators and industry could jointly shape the low-altitude aviation ecosystem, adding that Odisha’s aim was to contribute to national policy development rather than merely implement it.