CLARK COUNTY — Ondas has officially opened its new testing and flight operations center at Springfield-Beckley Airport in Clark County.
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Community leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the launch of the facility, located inside the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence.
The facility will serve as an operational site for Ondas Sentinel, the company’s division dedicated to autonomous defense technologies.
The location allows pilots and technicians to work alongside personnel from the Springfield Air National Guard and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
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Ted Angel, the executive director of NAAMCE, explained that the center’s goal has focused on leveraging statewide industry support.
“Our mission’s been clear from day one,” Angel said. “We wanna accelerate the commercialization of advanced air mobility, connecting companies with all of Ohio’s resources.”
U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, attended the opening ceremony and spoke about the strategic importance of the work being done at the airport.
“When you look at the very leading edge of technology and urgency for a national priority, you’re seeing it right here today,” Davidson said.
Matt McCune of Ondas Sentinel detailed how the site will directly benefit personnel through practical instruction.
“They can actually train on real hardware,” McCune said. “We can put the actual aircraft here, we can put the actual systems here, they can go through hands-on training, not just computer-based training.”
McCune added that the company selected the site to take advantage of surrounding military assets.
“We are planning to do operational training, mission planning, maintenance training, flight operations demonstrations all at this facility here at NAMC due to its proximity and to the partnership with Wright-Patt Air Force Base,” he said.
Springfield Mayor Rob Rue highlighted the municipal effort behind bringing the project to fruition.
“This is a combination of the vision of Springfield and people investing in our community,” Rue said.
City leaders noted that the new facility will support job growth as demand for autonomous technologies expands across the region’s aerospace ecosystem.
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