The Kansas Department of Agriculture partner will run crop spraying, scouting, fertilizing and seeding beyond visual line of sight, following the model of Thales's North Dakota Vantis deployment. Thales and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems will deploy a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone network in Kansas. The network will support agricultural operations. The two companies … [Read more...] about Thales, Kelly Hills Launch BVLOS Drone Network for Kansas Farms
Northern Plains UAS Test Site
ND UAS Council Adds Grand Forks DDA to Strengthen Drone Ecosystem
The North Dakota UAS Council has added the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association as its newest member, linking the state's drone industry to its downtown community. The North Dakota UAS Council has welcomed the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association (DDA) as its newest member, according to a June 9 announcement from the council. The council says the partnership … [Read more...] about ND UAS Council Adds Grand Forks DDA to Strengthen Drone Ecosystem
Vantis BVLOS System Adds New Partner, FAA Waiver Across 5,000 Square Miles
A new FAA aircraft-agnostic waiver lets Frontier Precision fly any NDAA-compliant drone under 55 pounds across more than 5,000 square miles of Vantis-managed airspace. Vantis, North Dakota's beyond-visual-line-of-sight system, has onboarded Frontier Precision as its second champion operator. Frontier Precision secured a new FAA waiver that expands BVLOS operations through the … [Read more...] about Vantis BVLOS System Adds New Partner, FAA Waiver Across 5,000 Square Miles
Project ULTRA Aims to Normalize Drone Operations in Shared Airspace
FAA, DoD, and industry partners use Grand Forks test environment to develop scalable systems for UAS, logistics, and counter-UAS coordination At AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit, officials from the FAA, Department of War (DoW), test sites, and industry described a growing effort to normalize drone operations within the National Airspace System (NAS). The initiative, known as … [Read more...] about Project ULTRA Aims to Normalize Drone Operations in Shared Airspace
AURA Network Systems Conducts BVLOS Communications Tests
In collaboration with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), AURA Network Systems has completed a comprehensive flight-test report evaluating voice-relay service performance during beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. The tests, conducted in Mayville and Buxton, North Dakota, assessed the technical performance of … [Read more...] about AURA Network Systems Conducts BVLOS Communications Tests
