Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi has won designation as the research headquarters for 11 Texas test sites working to develop drones for commercial use.
Texas is one of six states announced Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration as development sites for the unmanned aircraft.
The university's president, Flavius Killebrew, says the school is "proud to be a part of this historic moment in aviation history."
The university already has been researching drones for two years, investigating how to use them to map sea grass, detect oil spills and wildfire hotspots, monitor hurricanes and count cattle for ranchers.
The 11 Texas test sites are south of Fort Stockton, south of Fort Hood, outside College Station and several in South Texas outside Beeville and south of Corpus Christi.
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