GRAND FORKS, N.D. – A recently passed bill could help the Grand Forks region secure the “holy grail” for the future of unmanned aircraft, according to the University of North Dakota (UND) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. Center Director Al Palmer and other members of the North Dakota UAS Integration Team recently pitched the region’s expertise in unmanned aircraft to Michael Huerta, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. This was a key development for the Air Force Base in Grand Forks and the region.
The 2012 Department of Defense authorization bill passed by Congress last week requires Huerta to select six test sites across the nation to allow both traditional and unmanned aircraft to fly together in the same airspace. Palmer said integrating both types of aircraft in the same place will open up a new “opportunity for expansion” for UAS in the region, and Grand Forks could be at the top of a list for possible testing sites for the new program. Currently, the vehicles are only flown in the U.S. with regular pilot-flown aircraft along the borders of Mexico and Canada.
The Department of Defense bill includes $900 million to fully fund the Global Hawk program, which will allow the Air Force to follow its plan of eventually stationing 13 of the aircraft at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The base currently has five Global Hawks.
