The Dayton-Springfield area may have a new ally in its quest to become a center for unmanned aircraft development.

Maj. Gen. Deborah Ashenhurst, who oversees the Ohio Army and Air National Guard, is the state’s new gatekeeper on requests for space to fly unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

Ashenhurst said Tuesday that Gov. John Kasich has asked her office to be the clearinghouse for Ohio requests to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval of airspace requests for research and training flights of UAVs. Her office has already forwarded two such requests that could affect the Dayton area.

Ashenhurst plans to discuss this effort this afternoon at the Dayton Development Coalition’s annual meeting downtown.

Ashenhurst has sent the FAA an application from Sinclair Community College for a UAV training flying area and is awaiting the FAA’s response, Ashenhurst said.

Her office also requested approval for the Ohio Army National Guard to fly a small Raven UAV for military training purposes. That request is making its way to the FAA for review, Ashenhurst said.

The Dayton region hopes to become a nationally recognized center for unmanned aircraft construction, design, pilot training and certification as part of the region’s long-term economic goals.

Having designated airspace near Dayton could boost that effort. The FAA is trying to resolve concerns about UAVs sharing airspace with manned aircraft.

The UAVs could be flown in the areas of the Springfield Air National Guard Base or the Ohio National Guard’s Buckeye-Brush Creek military flight training area over southern Ohio.

The Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has applied for FAA approval to fly small UAVs for military purpose within five miles of Wilmington Air Park, a former Air Force base in Clinton County.