State Farm to test commercial use of unmanned aircraft

BLOOMINGTON, Illinois — State Farm announced it has received permission from the FAA to test unmanned aircraft systems for commercial use, becoming the first insurer in the U.S. to do so. The insurance company plans to use unmanned aircraft to assess potential roof damage during the claims process and respond to natural disasters, according to a press release. It will move forward with test and development flights conducted at private test sites in the Bloomington, Illinois area. It will eventually evolve to testing in real-world scenarios. “The potential use of (unmanned aircraft systems) provides us one more innovative tool to help State Farm customers recover from the unexpected as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Wensley Herbert, Operations Vice President – Claims. “We will continue to provide the same personal, good neighbor service State Farm is recognized for, with assistance from these high-tech devices.”

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