Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven announced significant progress for Project ULTRA, a key initiative in North Dakota focused on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technology. The project has commenced unmanned cargo flights between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Cavalier Space Force Station. These flights will carry up to 25 pounds of cargo weekly for the next year, marking the first UAS operation on a military base through national airspace without a chase plane.

Hoeven also secured an agreement with the Department of Defense to increase Project ULTRA's contract ceiling from $18 million to $100 million. This funding boost aims to connect military services with private sector expertise, enhancing capabilities such as counter-drone technology development.

Funding for Project ULTRA is sourced from annual defense appropriations legislation, which Hoeven contributes to as part of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee. Additionally, Hoeven drafted legislation included in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, authorizing a pilot project using drones for resupplying remote facilities supporting nuclear missiles.

“Today marks two major milestones for Project ULTRA – the beginning of weekly UAS cargo flights between two military bases and an increase of the initiative’s contract ceiling to $100 million,” said Senator Hoeven. “We’re leveraging this funding and the ecosystem we’ve been building in our state since 2005 to connect all of our military branches with even more private sector partners to realize a wide range of new capabilities."

The partners involved in these operations include GrandSKY, Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Grand Forks County, Skyways providing aircraft, Simulyze offering traffic management systems, and representatives from the Air Force, Navy, and NASA.