When Pendleton’s drone testing field comes alive at dawn, the hum of rotorcraft cuts through the high desert air and a new leadership chapter begins. In October, Jesse Steele stepped into the role of range manager at the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range, part of the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. His appointment signals a sharper push to blend cutting-edge drone work with local economic growth and community involvement.

Pendleton UAS Range Appoints New Manager Jesse Steele

Steele’s arrival comes after a decade-plus in flight operations and program management, including time as a Defense Contract Management Agency test pilot and Navy operations officer. He will oversee daily operations, customer coordination, airspace management and flight safety while shaping the range’s long-term strategy to drive innovation and economic growth in Oregon’s unmanned and aerospace sectors. The goal is simple: keep Pendleton at the forefront of drone technology while weaving innovators into the fabric of the community.

Steele told local readers that the range aims to be a magnet for testing and development. He envisions a place where startups, established companies, and researchers can push the boundaries of how unmanned systems can work in agriculture, emergency response, surveillance, and defense-related applications. The 14,000 square miles of FAA-approved airspace around Pendleton provides a broad sandbox for flight tests across civilian and defense-oriented missions alike.

According to East Oregonian, Steele will oversee the myriad duties that keep a busy test site running: daily operations, coordinating with customers, managing airspace usage, and ensuring flight safety. In his view, the work is about more than flights; it is about building a sustainable ecosystem where innovation translates into local jobs and new business opportunities for Pendleton and the surrounding region.

“From both the innovation and airfield sides, we want to attract businesses to Pendleton,” Steele said. “When these companies come here, they’ll be staying for a while, and the more we can integrate them into the community, the more they’ll contribute to our restaurants, hotels, and help increase the overall value here.”

Beyond attracting firms, Steele is focused on strengthening partnerships with the Federal Aviation Administration, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a slate of commercial and defense customers operating within Pendleton’s vast airspace. These ties are crucial for aligning testing priorities with safety standards, regulatory expectations, and long-term regional development goals. The range’s portfolio already spans agriculture tech, fire rescue simulations, drone detection systems, surveillance studies and defense-oriented demonstrations, illustrating the breadth of applications the Pendleton corridor can support.

Steele’s career path underscores the move from military to civilian innovation ecosystems. He began in submarine nuclear operations, then earned a degree from Oregon State University before transitioning to aviation. On the U.S.S. Lewis B. Puller, he directed large-scale air operations and oversaw hundreds of flight tests for rotary-wing and tilt-rotor platforms. The experience taught him to balance speed with safety and to turn ambitious ideas into operational reality under evolving rules and tools. The lessons translate directly to the Pendleton range: cultivate a concept of operations, adapt to a changing regulatory landscape, and deliver results that support both private interests and public safety.

-Steele and his family moved to Pendleton four years ago, drawn by the community and the potential of the UAS Range. His wife, Kelly Steele, is also a Navy retiree, and the couple is raising four children. The personal connection to the area underscores the leadership’s emphasis on community integration—an essential lever for turning drone testing into lasting local prosperity.

Leadership and Vision

The Pendleton UAS Range is betting that a close-knit, collaborative environment will accelerate innovation and draw more sustained investment to rural Oregon. Steele’s leadership aims to orchestrate a multi-party effort that spans government, academia, and industry while keeping safety and flight reliability at the core. By grooming a steady pipeline of test programs and pilots, Pendleton could become a model for how small cities harness drone technology to diversify their economies and attract high-tech jobs.

Range’s Innovation Portfolio

In practice, the range tests a wide spectrum of drone-enabled capabilities—from precision agriculture sensors that help farmers boost yields to autonomous surveillance for critical infrastructure. Fire-rescue drills, drone-detect techniques for incident response, and defense-related demonstrations are part of the ongoing work. The breadth of activities demonstrates the versatility of the Pendleton corridor and its potential to serve civil, commercial and defense markets. Public-interest stakeholders are watching to see how the community can participate more directly, not just as spectators but as co-developers in the technology journey.

Community Ties and Economic Goals

Steele stressed that the ultimate objective is to grow the local economy by creating aerospace clusters, manufacturing opportunities, and well-paying jobs. Outreach work is already underway, with leadership exploring ways for residents to observe testing, learn about safety standards, and engage with innovators in meaningful ways. The team emphasizes that outreach will not be years away. They envision concrete plans within a month or two, designed to bring curious residents into the loop without disrupting ongoing tests.

For defense planners and industry watchers, the Pendleton strategy signals a deliberate move to de-risk rural drone testing by combining rigorous safety regimes with transparent community engagement. The feedback loop between residents, businesses, and regulators appears poised to strengthen as the range expands its footprint and partnerships.

Conclusion

Jesse Steele’s appointment marks more than a change in leadership; it marks an inflection point for Pendleton’s drone economy. By pairing veteran operational discipline with a strong emphasis on community integration, the range aims to accelerate innovation while delivering tangible benefits to local residents. If the plan to boost outreach and cultivate aerospace clusters gains momentum, Pendleton could become a durable example of how rural areas can ride the wave of unmanned tech into broader economic growth. The journey will require steady collaboration across agencies, industry players and the public—but the early momentum suggests the pendulum is tipping toward a more connected, opportunity-rich scene for drones in eastern Oregon.