A SOUTHAMPTON university has been chosen as part of a push to lead a new era of commercial unmanned flight.

The University of Southampton is part of the team which will carry out research into low-altitude operations safety, control and communications, compatibility and technology to avoid detection.

ASSURE, (Alliance for System Safety of Unmanned Aircraft System through Research Excellence), is a team that has been chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration to run a new national centre of excellence.

University of Southampton professor Jim Scanlan is excited to be involved in the project.

He said: "Our involvement in the ASSURE team reflects our global reputation for unmanned systems research and development.

"We have the capabilities and resources to help address the demand of this challenging technology and launch a new era of commercial unmanned aircraft research, development and integration."

The ASSURE group is a coalition of the top 20 unmanned aircraft systems, including representatives from three countries and more than 100 government and industry partners.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "This world-class, public-private partnership will help us focus on the challenges and opportunities of this cutting-edge technology."