Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven today joined the partners of Project ULTRA, an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) initiative he established and funded, to showcase the first simulation of its unmanned cargo transportation project.

“Project ULTRA is underway,” said Senator Hoeven. “We provided the funding, helped build the partnerships and got the contract with DoD in place. Now with this first simulation, the project partners are preparing to demonstrate the practical UAS applications they’ve been tasked with, the first being moving cargo between military installations using unmanned aircraft. To be clear, this isn’t about technology development. North Dakota already leads the way in that work, with more than a decade under our belt. We designed Project ULTRA to prioritize demonstration and speed, drawing upon all of our efforts to date to provide real and timely solutions for our military installations, starting here in Grand Forks.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Brent Ingraham emphasized that, “The Department of Defense recognizes the importance of this great partnership with North Dakota and looks forward to continuing work with Grand Forks County and Northern Plains UAS Test Site to achieve the long-term goal of safely integrating Department of Defense’s Unmanned Systems into the U.S. National Air Space.”

The goal of Project ULTRA is to transition from research to practice and demonstrate a variety of UAS applications that will benefit Grand Forks Air Force Base while also providing a template for UAS activities at installations across the country. This includes developing practical UAS applications like supply delivery, base inspections, and installation security.

Project ULTRA received an open contract valued at up to $18.25 million and can continue to receive funding in subsequent years.