Warminster firm NASC expands its technological footprint with Ivyland drone facility

Peg Quann  Bucks County Courier Times (Published 10:01pm Dec 1 , 2021)

Warminster’s long history with aviation innovation, including preparing astronauts for trips into outer space at the former Naval Air Development Center, took a new turn recently when Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation opened its third Bucks County building dedicated to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and their systems.

The 21,000 square-foot building in the Ivybrook Corporate Campus in neighboring Ivyland includes a suite of offices to “house the engineers and technicians that design and implement the latest NASC innovations in unmanned flight,” the company announced from its Warminster headquarters. It also has multiple work areas large enough to accommodate the NASC’s Tiger Shark – XP and Teros UAVs and numerous ground control stations.

UAVs, more commonly known as drones, have increased in size, use and complexity in recent years, both for the military and commercial sectors.

The building, called the TDT Fenerty Technology Center, was dedicated recently in memory of Thomas “TJ” Fenerty and Daniel Fenerty, the late sons of company President / CEO Thomas Fenerty.  Both younger Fenertys were instrumental in the global accomplishments of NASC, the company said.

Thomas Fenerty (left), president and CEO of the Navmar Applied Sciences Corp., dedicates the new TDT Fenerty Technology Center in Ivyland, as Bryan Hazlett, NASC Unmanned Aircraft Systems vice president, listens during the Nov. 18 ceremony.

“This building is an investment in NASC. But even more importantly, it is an investment in the people of NASC,” Thomas Fenerty said. “It is their dedication and commitment to growing our company and solidifying our future that made this substantial expansion and advancement possible.”

The center employs nearly 50 people, all focused on the NASC Unmanned Systems.

NASC, which has a history in innovative solutions for the Department of Defense, now also is developing UAVs for research facilities and the commercial sector to carry a variety of payloads. Its website states it is “committed to all levels of research and development leading to the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace.”

“NASC is at the forefront of unmanned technology.  Staying in front requires innovative thinking and the critical ability to take those ideas from concept to a successful mission,” said Bryan Hazlett, vice president for the section.  “This new facility allows us to expand our vision and put new concepts into action.”

NASC is also working with the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University, the Georgia Tech Research Institution and the University of Maryland, which are among the leading educational facilities developing UAV technology.

The Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation’s TDT Fenerty Technology Center is located in the Ivybrook Corporate Campus in Ivyland.

“This is such a rapidly advancing industry,” said spokesman Kirk Zucal. “UAVs can be used for firefighting. They can deliver food, water and medicine to people who are stranded in remote locations. Emergency responders and utility companies use them to inspect buildings, power grids and infrastructure after natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.”

The other NASC sites in Bucks are its headquarters on Street Road and a building housing the corporation’s advanced acoustics and information technology sectors, located at Louis Drive in Warminster. The corporation has eight other locations around the country and employs 200 people.

NASC has been in business since 1977.

Its products, support and services “currently are being used in multiple operational theaters around the world.”  They include UAS design, manufacture and flight services, UAS ground control systems, anti-submarine warfare technology, P-3 Orion flight training, advanced acoustics and sensor development, persistent surveillance system services, biometrics, electronics, aerodynamics, system engineering, electro-optics combat systems development and support and information technology services.

Isabella Fenerty, daughter of the late Thomas B. Fenerty III, and niece of the late Daniel Fenerty, hold a plaque honoring her father and uncle at the ceremony during which the Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation’s TDT Fenerty Technology Center  was dedicated in memory of the two brothers.

SOURCE: To contact Peg Quann, email mquann@couriertimes.com