News

Request For Qualifications

The Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission (HTAC) requests statements of qualifications from qualified, interested teams to provide professional Architectural and Engineering Consulting Services on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time. The project will consist of furnishing design, bidding, construction administration, and project representation services related to HTAC’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) / Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (L-UAS) program. More specifically, for the RPA / L-UAS Free Span Aircraft Hangar (40,000 sq ft) with associated office and shop space (12,000 sq ft) and Ramp Taxiway Connector. Project budget is $21.3 million. A non-mandatory pre-submittal conference for interested teams will be held via zoom/TEAMS/etc on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 2:00 PM local time.

For a copy of the details of the request for statements of qualifications, interested firms should contact:

Ms. Andrea Dupre
Director of Aviation Business & UAS/AAM Development
Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission
10264 East Main Street
Houma, LA 70363
(985) 872-4646
adupre@houma-airport.com

Interested teams should clearly indicate who their contact person will be along with their contact information.

Mert Pellegrin
Executive Director

Dates of Advertisement February 2, 7 and 14, 2023

Request For Qualifications

The Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission (HTAC) requests statements of qualifications from qualified, interested teams to provide professional Architectural and Engineering Consulting Services on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time. The project will consist of furnishing design, bidding, construction administration, and project representation services related to HTAC’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) / Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (L-UAS) program. More specifically, for the RPA / L-UAS Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) station (15,000 sq ft) with four truck bays and admin and support staff areas. Project budget is $6.8 million. A non-mandatory pre-submittal conference for interested teams will be held via zoom/TEAMS/etc on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 2:00 PM local time.

For a copy of the details of the request for statements of qualifications, interested firms should contact:

Ms. Andrea Dupre
Director of Aviation Business & UAS/AAM Development
Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission
10264 East Main Street
Houma, LA 70363
(985) 872-4646
adupre@houma-airport.com

Interested teams should clearly indicate who their contact person will be along with their contact information.

Mert Pellegrin
Executive Director

Dates of Advertisement February 2, 7 and 14, 2023

Request For Qualifications

The Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission (HTAC) requests statements of qualifications from qualified, interested teams to provide professional Architectural and Engineering Consulting Services on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time. The project will consist of furnishing design, bidding, construction administration, and project representation services related to HTAC’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) / Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (L-UAS) program. More specifically, for the RPA / L-UAS Theater Administrative Building (15,000 sq ft). Project budget is $8.6 million. A non-mandatory pre-submittal conference for interested teams will be held via zoom/TEAMS/etc on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 2:00 PM local time.

For a copy of the details of the request for statements of qualifications, interested firms should contact:

Ms. Andrea Dupre
Director of Aviation Business & UAS/AAM Development
Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission
10264 East Main Street
Houma, LA 70363
(985) 872-4646
adupre@houma-airport.com

Interested teams should clearly indicate who their contact person will be along with their contact information.

Mert Pellegrin
Executive Director          

Dates of Advertisement February 2, 7 and 14, 2023

UAS Infrastructure Project

The Houma Terrebonne Airport Commission, along with several partners, have been working for quite a number of years to bring drone technology to the Houma-Terrebonne Airport.  

​We are not looking to just bring this technology to South Louisiana to diversify the economy, but also to help create new jobs to support that technology. 

Brief History of Drone Technology

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have been around since unmanned balloons full of explosives were used in 1839 by Austrian soldiers.  Since then, the technology has been used by the military in different avenues and mostly in reconnaissance.

In the early 2000s, drone technology became more mainstream and commercialized.  It is used in surveying, pipeline work, crowd security and many other ways.

Partners in the Effort

Mr. R. George Rey, Sr., COTS Technology, LLC, has been working as the HTAC’s consultant throughout this process.

He has been diligently engaging with companies and educational facilities to partner with the HTAC to bring Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (L-UAS) to the Houma-Terrebonne Airport and South Louisiana.

​​​Mr. Rey’s efforts have lead to the creation of the UAS Gulf of Mexico Center of Excellence (UGC), which is a Public-Private Partnership that will allow government, academia and private entities to participate in eventually operating L-UAS over the Gulf of Mexico.  

The HTAC currently has in place Memorandums of Understanding with most of the partners depicted in the photo below.

Government Backing

In June 2019, the Houma Terrebonne Airport Commission received a $1.3 grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration to begin implementing infrastructure for the airport’s UAS facility.  An event was held to commemorate the award of this grant at the Era Helicopters facility on the Houma-Terrebonne Airport. 

During that event, Governor John Bel Edwards officially signed his Executive Order to designate the Houma Terrebonne Airport as the Louisiana Hub for Large Automated Aircraft Systems.

Beginning Construction

Milford & Associates, Inc, a Houma company, was selected to design the infrastructure that will lead to the future L-UAS Campus on the Houma-Terrebonne Airport.  ​

The first Phase in building the infrastructure is constructing Blue Angel Road, which will provide access to the site selected by the airport from Louisiana Highway 24. 

​This phase of construction will also include ramp space and a connector to Taxiway Echo.   Phase I cost is approximately $1.9 million and covers the areas shown below in dark gray. 

Ground breaking is set for March 2021 and we hope to have the first phase of the project completed in Summer 2021.