Senator Kent Conrad: Grand Forks at Forefront of U.S. Unmanned Aircraft Operations

UND Program Will Train the Best and Brightest for UAS Operations

May 27, 2009 -- Grand Forks – The University of North Dakota is uniquely positioned to be “the future hub” of the development and operation of cutting-edge Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Senator Kent Conrad said today in a speech outlining the future of UAS technology.

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“These aircraft are clearly the way of the future and that future resides right here in Grand Forks,” Senator Conrad said. “At the University of North Dakota we are ready to train the UAS pilots of tomorrow. As demand for unmanned aircraft increases, these men and women will patrol our borders, conduct combat operations half a world away, and ultimately keep America safe.”

Senator Conrad made his remarks at the opening of the 2009 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Action Summit – a conference organized and led by Senator Byron Dorgan. In his speech, Senator Conrad detailed steps that the Congressional delegation was taking to help position UND and the state as a whole in the forefront of UAS pilot and sensor operator training.

UND is home to the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence. The Center trains pilots for the high-tech, computer-controlled, and remotely operated aircraft. The school has just announced a four-year UAS undergraduate degree program, with students entering this fall.

Senator Conrad has been instrumental in bringing UAS technology to Grand Forks Air Force Base. In December, the first of four Predator Bs arrived at the base, assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As part of the 2005 BRAC process, Senator Conrad secured a commitment from the Air Force to base a family of UAS – including both Predators and Global Hawks – at Grand Forks Air Force Base.

Most recently, Senator Conrad has been involved in working to integrate UAS operations into the national airspace system. He has reached out to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Federal Aviation Administration leadership in an effort to help fully facilitate UAS operations in the national civil airspace.

The Predator and Global Hawk are the military's most widely used unmanned aircraft. The high-flying Global Hawk is a large reconnaissance aircraft. The Predator is a smaller reconnaissance aircraft that can also carry Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. Both are currently being heavily used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In response to the needs of troops on the ground, the U.S. Air Force has recently announced a plan to ensure that 50 Predator-class aircraft will be available to perform missions in the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan at all times.

Source: Senator Kent Conrad