Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) is praising the collaboration of Grand Sky and the Harris Corporation, resulting in a new Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Super Corridor in the Red River Valley.
The endeavor will enable small and large unmanned aircraft to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their operators and without a chase plane throughout approximately 100 miles of the valley.
“The UAS Super Corridor creates an airspace for UAS in our state that is unmatched across the globe in terms of size and complexity,” Hoeven said. “We’ve worked hard to bring together all of the pieces that were needed for this level of UAS operations.”
Hoeven hosted chief Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel at the University of North Dakota and Grand Sky while also guiding officials to Grand Forks to highlight the region’s UAS ecosystem, as well as share the progress being made under the FAA’s partnerships with the state, including its Integration Pilot Program and Unmanned Traffic Management pilot program.
“Having the head of the FAA Integration Office here, among others, really helps drive home the amount of progress we’ve achieved in our partnerships with the federal government,” Hoeven said.
Hoeven said the roundtables were an opportunity to strengthen collaborations, ensuring that the FAA is responsive to industry partners and the test site, as well as bolstering ongoing efforts to provide statewide coverage for UAS operations.