UND Marks 20 Years of UAS Summit in Grand Forks; Hoeven Announces Project ATLAS and Counter-Drone Clearinghouse Role
Why It MattersCounter-drone and manned-unmanned teaming work is being anchored at a university-led hub in North Dakota, tying the region's UAS cluster more closely to military and national security programs.
The 20th UAS Summit & Expo was held Oct. 13-14 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, bringing together researchers, industry representatives, military leaders and government officials. Speakers reflected on the investments that built the region's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry and on the challenges ahead. The first UAS Action Summit convened in 2006, after changes to Grand Forks Air Force Base's mission prompted regional leaders to consider new uses for the area's aviation expertise. That year UND received a North Dakota Center of Excellence designation for its UAS work; in 2009 it introduced the nation's first undergraduate degree program in UAS operations. In 2013 the Federal Aviation Administration selected North Dakota as one of six national UAS test sites, and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site became operational the following year.
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven made two announcements during the summit. Project ATLAS brings together UND, NASA, the Department of War and the North Dakota National Guard to explore how unmanned aircraft and ground vehicles can operate together, with applications in military training, base support and combat operations; UND and NASA will conduct experiments supported by the North Dakota National Guard. The second announcement established UND as the first and only university in the nation to serve as a clearinghouse for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401's counter-drone technology efforts.
John Nelson, chief operating officer of BBI International, which organizes the summit, said ideas discussed at the event have become programs. UND President Andrew Armacost said such partnerships help UND remain a catalyst for ideas that benefit national security work. Col. Alfred Rosales, commander of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, said the focus is no longer on what unmanned aerial systems are but on delivering capability at scale. Discussions at the summit also turned to artificial intelligence, autonomous operations and national security.
