Unmanned drones are flying missions throughout the United States.  The information was discovered as a result of a Freedom of Information act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The report released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detailed the organizations that applied for licenses for the drones and their locations.  The reports didn’t state the type of drones being used or how many drones are owned and operated by each entity.  The FAA stated that information will be released at a later date.

A portion of the list were applications for test flights by defense contractors and companies that produce drones.

In addition to military bases from all four major branches, local police departments and even colleges were found to have received the Certificates of Authorization for drone use.  The locations of the police departments using drones varied from Miami-Dade County, Florida; North Little Rock, Arkansas; Orange County, California and Herington, Kansas.  Several universities conducting drone research included Mississippi State University, Texas State University, New Mexico State and University of Colorado.