News

Sandboxx video capture

OPL real world flight tests of Lockheed Martin’s CCA tech validates simulations

Monday, September 29, 2025
Sandboxx News highlighted the contributions of the University of Iowa Operator Performance Lab in the development of Lockheed Martin's Collaborate Combat Aircraft (CCA) technology.
Aero-TV interviews Schnell

Aero-TV: Helping aviators see through degraded visual environments

Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Aero-TV interviewed Thomas "Mach" Schnell, University of Iowa engineering professor and director of the Operator Performance Lab, about technology being developed to help pilots see in degraded visual environments.
Screengrab from regents presentation

Schnell presents research to Iowa Regents

Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Operator Performance Lab Director Thomas "Mach" Schnell presented an overview of the research at OPL and broadly at the Iowa Technology Institute to the Iowa Board of Regents during its June meeting.
Beau Benzing, left, Kyle Smith, right, pose in front of a white jet.

OPL, Air Force Test Pilot School partnership benefits students

Wednesday, May 28, 2025
The partnership between the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory and the U.S. Air Force has made the College of Engineering a destination for Test Pilot School officers seeking a PhD.
Tom Schnell sitting in a cockpit

Schnell wins Regents Award for Faculty Excellence

Tom “Mach” Schnell, University of Iowa professor of industrial and systems engineering and incoming director of the Iowa Technology Institute, is among six faculty members selected by the Iowa Board of Regents for extraordinary contributions and sustained record of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
Overhead view of airport hangar

OPL honors student researchers for innovation in flight testing

Wednesday, April 2, 2025
The University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) has announced awards for three students whose outstanding contributions led to flight test innovation.
Overhead view of airport hangar

OPL hosts Discover Your University tour on April 23

Tuesday, March 25, 2025
The University of Iowa's Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) is a world-renowned flight test laboratory that conducts research on human-in-the-loop and intelligent autonomous systems
Two Delfin L29 jets in the air

Sandboxx News analysis highlights OPL contributions to AI testing

Monday, February 10, 2025
University of Iowa's Operator Performance Laboratory has played an important role in advancing the next generation of fighter jets, which will mainly be artificial-intelligence-powered drone fighters taking their cues from pilots in nearby stealth jet, according to a recent analysis by Sandboxx News.
Lockheed Project

Early testing at OPL pays off for Lockheed Martin project

Sunday, January 26, 2025
Preliminary testing at the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory helped pave the way for Lockheed Martin to demonstrate the ability to control unmanned aircraft from the cockpit of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor, according to a new report in The War Zone
L-39ZA jet in the air

Video: Collins Aerospace highlights critical partnership with OPL

Tuesday, December 17, 2024
The critical partnership between Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, and the Operator Performance Lab at the University of Iowa Technology Institute facilitates early TRL testing of CJADC2 capability-enabling solutions that reduces costs to customers.