By: Dawn Zoldi
Some of the most consequential stories in aviation happen at places most people have never heard of. The San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) is one of those places. Nestled about an hour east of downtown Los Angeles in the heart of the Inland Empire, SBD sits on the former grounds of Norton Air Force Base, a World War II logistics hub that once anchored part of the nation’s global supply chain before it closed in the mid-1990s.
Today, that same piece of real estate has become one of the most operationally significant drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) testing environments in the United States. The UAS Center at SBD, launched in July 2020 under the Inland Valley Development Agency (IVDA), a regional economic development organization, is where the future of uncrewed aviation gets stress-tested in real-world conditions.
On a recent episode of the Dawn of Autonomy podcast*, UAS Center at SBD Administrator Kimberly Benson and Norton Test Range Manager Dave Krause discussed what makes the Center distinct, why organizations are coming to San Bernardino, and how the site fits into a broader aviation and economic development strategy. Krause also brings outside operational credibility through Influential Drones, helping reinforce the Center’s connection to practical field experience, training, and integration.
A Legacy Reborn: Norton Air Force Base Becomes a UAS Hub
Benson brings an unconventional background to her current work. Her roots in international trade and global business development involved early experience cultivating partnerships in the Middle East for Luxivair, SBD’s private jet terminal. When the IVDA began exploring the idea of a UAS center at the airport, the timing, even mid-pandemic, felt right. “We were able to start the Center right in the middle of COVID, which was a good time to start something so innovative and new,” she reflected.
That founding instinct was grounded in something real. SBD was already emerging as one of the fastest-growing air cargo airports in the country. The IVDA had spent decades rebuilding the regional economy after the base closure, eventually drawing more than 18,000 jobs back to the area. Against that backdrop, layering in drone and autonomous technology was a logical next chapter.
The UAS Center’s three core objectives reflect that economic DNA: advance drone technology, create safer communities and develop the regional workforce. But the team also knew that objectives alone don’t move an industry. Infrastructure does.
The Norton Test Range: Built for Real-World Operations
The Norton Test Range operates as an affiliate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS Test Site. One of the FAA’s original designated test sites, this critical partner holds special authority to operate. That relationship gives the Norton Test Range a structured regulatory pathway that most operators can’t easily replicate elsewhere.
Krause, who serves as the Norton Test Range Manager, described the Center’s 10-mile airspace corridor that extends from a launch point on airport property and over terrain that simulates austere, real-world operating environments. The range includes thousands of acres of land access, a detail that carries real weight in a drone community where simply finding a legal, appropriate launch site often presents as the first operational obstacle. Operations accommodate both sub-55-pound and over-55-pound aircraft.
“The infrastructure is here. It’s developed and it’s ready to support you,” Krause said, speaking directly to prospective partners and users.
That readiness includes more than airspace. The UAS Center’s 4,000-square-foot headquarters serves as a demonstration venue, event space and coordination hub. A dedicated flight operations site, complete with a mobile classroom trailer, has trained more than 400 drone pilots to date. Onsite structures can also support indoor drone activities. Office space within the broader airport campus has attracted companies like AIBOT, which relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations to SBD.
A Collaborative Ecosystem That Goes Beyond the Flight Line
What distinguishes Norton from many other ranges isn’t just what’s on the range itself, but also what surrounds it. Any map of the area shows an entire operational ecosystem with hotels, restaurants, vendors, data providers and industry partners all in close proximity to the test environment.
“We’re not operating in a sterile environment. We’re operating under real-world conditions,” Krause explained. “If you need a place to build, get a part shipped, access a new data set to train AI, or simply stay somewhere comfortable with good food nearby, that support is here.”
That same ecosystem mindset extends to the UAS Center at SBD’s partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Krause, a strong advocate for standardized test methods, has helped shape the range’s evaluation framework so NIST protocols can be incorporated into flight testing where appropriate. This allows operators to quantify and validate system capabilities against consistent, recognized benchmarks. For companies pursuing Department of Defense contracts or working toward specific Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), that structured validation pathway can be especially valuable.
Perhaps the most distinctive partnership is with Kelly Space & Technology, located literally across the parking lot from the UAS Center at SBD. Kelly Space performed fuel system validation work for the Artemis space program and offers a full suite of component testing capabilities, including sand and dust exposure, corrosion, shock, humidity, temperature, and vibration testing across varying atmospheric conditions. These types of validations can be especially valuable for manufacturers pursuing military specifications or seeking to scale to larger, airworthiness-relevant platforms.
“Air mobility is not possible unless you validate your components,” Krause said. “There needs to be a place or a partner who can take that drone manufacturer, that robotics manufacturer, to reach the level they are working toward. At the UAS Center at SBD, that support is literally just across the parking lot.”
Who’s Showing Up and Why
The range of organizations engaging with the Norton Test Range says a great deal about how the market sees SBD. Universities bring research use cases. Defense-adjacent groups pursue the operational data needed to advance technology maturity. Manufacturers tied to commercial aviation use the site to validate products and concepts. Some organizations are working with aircraft above 500 pounds, testing hover capabilities and propulsion transitions. Others are exploring wildfire-related applications, a growing priority in California where both detection and suppression technologies are drawing increased interest.
Even the crewed aviation sector has taken notice. A visiting company from Australia recognized that smaller fixed-wing testing at Norton could offer a faster and more accessible way to generate useful data. That kind of crossover is important. It shows that the value of SBD is not limited to a narrow drone niche. It reflects a broader aviation relevance shaped by accessibility, infrastructure, and operational realism.
Krause’s background through Influential Drones adds practical depth and real-world credibility to the environment at SBD, reinforcing the Center’s focus on disciplined execution, coordination, and testing under the right controls.
Workforce Development: Training the Next Generation On-Site
The Center has also made its workforce mission a structural commitment. Benson explained how through a formal partnership with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, which contracts the UAS Center at SBD to deliver drone pilot training through their Regional Occupation Program, serving adult students of all ages. More than 400 pilots have completed training since the Center launched. “That partnership alone has fueled so much interest in autonomous and drone technology,” she said.
Krause brings additional depth to workforce development through Aviation Influence Inc, a nonprofit he co-founded that runs large-scale events, including scholarships, aimed at inspiring young people of all backgrounds to pursue careers in aviation and engineering (advanced autonomy).
Eyes on the LA 2028 Olympics and AAM Integration
Los Angeles sits approximately an hour away. The strategic positioning of the UAS Center at SBD for the upcoming 2028 Olympics is hard to ignore. Counter-UAS requirements, AAM demonstrations and the logistics demands for one of the world’s largest sporting events will all converge in Southern California. The UAS Center at SBD is already pursuing partnerships in both counter-UAS and AAM to be ready.
Benson framed it as more than an event opportunity. “We have a place where companies can have a home base in Southern California, in an area where it matters, with all the amenities we provide,” she said.
SBD’s status as part of a larger Southern California foreign trade zone (FTZ) adds yet another advantage for companies who import parts or finished products into the US. Companies in FTZs can defer payment of import duties until the parts or products are shipped from the FTZ to their US customers, or avoid payment of US import duties altogether if those items are shipped from the FTZ to a third country. For manufacturers scouting a U.S. home base, that detail alone can shift the calculus.
Connect With the UAS Center at SBD
The UAS Center at SBD welcomes inquiries from drone and robotics manufacturers, research institutions, government agencies, defense-adjacent organizations, and others working on mobile robotics, sensors, or systems that interact with airport infrastructure. The team’s approach is deliberately conversation-first. There is no cookie-cutter intake process or one-size-fits-all access package.
“Different groups come to us with different needs,” Krause explained. “Our role is to help frame those needs in a practical way. We have a responsibility to do things legally and safely. We are not the perfect fit for everyone, but we can generally accommodate most. It all starts with a conversation.”
Both leaders are also active on the conference circuit. In the near term, you will find them at AUVSI XPONENTIAL, the AUVSI Drone and AAM Policy Symposium, and regional events in Southern California, including Cal State San Bernardino’s inaugural Defining the Future.
Otherwise, the team can be reached through the inquiry form at uascentersbd.com, which connects directly with Benson, Krause, and the broader UAS Center at SBD team. Krause is also active on LinkedIn through Influential Drones.
*Dawn of Autonomy is a podcast published by Autonomy Global. Episode 117 featured Dave Krause and Kimberly Benson. The full episode is available at autonomyglobal.co.