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UNMANNNED & AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

Fly High in Grand Forks

Droning Out the Competition

We’ve taken our pioneer spirit to a new level, leading the development of a UAS ecosystem that is the most robust in the country. Our region had the foresight to establish expertise in the industry when it was in its infancy and today, the strength of our vision is your advantage. We are the nation’s UAS trailblazer with many firsts including the first statewide BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) network (Vantis), first UAS pilot undergraduate program, and first UAS business and aviation park.

Companies Take Flight Here

Senator John Hoeven stands at a podium addressing a crowd of people at Grand Sky in Emerado North Dakota.
Senator John Hoeven, Senator Kevin Cramer, and Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Director George Rumford announce a new $500 million, 600,00 square foot operations center at Grand Sky.

Grand Forks is a collaborative community: supporting the industry and engaging at all levels including federal and state, with leaders positioned to influence UAS integration policies. 

Unencumbered

silhouette of a plane flying in the clouds

Through the development of Vantis, a statewide network enabling UAS flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), Grand Forks is the nation's epicenter of commercial UAS activity. Vantis is the first such program of its scale in the United States being designed to operate any aviation-grade UAS in airspace covering 70,000 square miles on the ground.

Grand Skies

drone plane landed in a field

Grand Sky is a 217-acre business and aviation park with 1,200,000 square feet of hangar, office, and data center space available on a built-to-suit basis with financing available. 

Features 

  • Unencumbered airspace
  • 12,351-foot runway and Air Force Base access
  • DASR-11 radar data access
  • Fiber optic data access
  • Small to large UAS operation 
  • BVLOS flights with Northern Plains UAS Test Site
  • Full-spectrum weather conditions

Paving the Way

drone in front of a UAS testing site

The Northern Plains UAS Test Site is one of seven FAA UAS Test Sites across the country partnering with major players in the commercial UAS industry.

The mission of the NPUASTS is to collaborate with FAA and industry partners to develop equipment, systems, rules, and procedures to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the NAS without negatively impacting existing general or commercial aviation. 

Services

  • Pilots and aircraft to conduct testing
  • Assistance with accelerated airspace approval and safety risk management
  • Location scoping for UAS testing
  • Administering North Dakota's state-wide beyond-visual-line-of-site network, Vantis
  • Daisy chain observers supporting BVLOS missions
  • UAS traffic management

World Class UAS Research University

The New York Times called North Dakota and Grand Forks ‘A Silicon Valley For Drones’ – learn why the Nation’s UAS leaders call Grand Forks home. Hear from: 

  • Dr. Joshua Riedy – Thread
  • Dean Gorder – General Atomics
  • Mike Firdolfs – Northrop Grumman 
  • Don Berchoff – TruWeather Solutions 
  • Greta Silewski – Thales Group
  • Matt Dunlevy – SkySkopes
  • Frank Matus – Thales Group
  • Doug McDonald – iSight Drone Services 
  • William Cromarty – Kirkwall Solutions

FAST FACTS

1ST

STATEWIDE BVLOS NETWORK, VANTIS

1ST

UAS PILOT UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

1ST

UAS MAINTENANCE TRAINING PROGRAM

1ST

GEOSPATIAL AND IMAGERY ANALYST TRAINING PROGRAMS

1ST

DEDICATED UAS BUSINESS & AVIATION PARK, GRAND SKY

1ST

NATIONAL UAS SUMMIT

1215

EMPLOYMENT as of 2022

40.9%

5 YEAR % CHANGE as of 2021

$71,00

WAge AVERAGE in 2022

1ST

UND Aerospace was the first four year degree UAS Operation program to receive Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) Accreditation for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

University of North Dakota (UND)

MAJOR EMPLOYERS

Northrop Grumman logo

UAS Booklet

CONTACT US

Questions about joining the UAS ecosystem? Our Business Development Officer, Kevin Hatcher, is ready to answer your questions and connect you to our region’s resources.

Kevin Hatcher Headshot

Kevin Hatcher

Business Development Manager
Phone: 701.746.2720
Email: kevinh@grandforks.org

STAY INFORMED

Stay up to date with the latest information from the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation.

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