Collaboration will boost armed forces’ capabilities, fuel innovation and workforce development, say UND Aerospace leaders
Grand Forks, N.D. (May 19, 2025) – The North Dakota Air and Army National Guard has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of North Dakota to collaborate on Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems and Advanced Air Mobility initiatives.
The memorandum has resulted in numerous experiments/exercises being conducted at UND Aerospace’s Gorman Field UAS Test Range and North Dakota National Guard’s Camp Grafton Training Center. The joint training exercises with the North Dakota Air and Army National Guard have centered around boosting the armed forces’ counter UAS capabilities and readiness, as well as creating an interactive training environment to improve UND Aerospace’s UAS and Counter UAS Operations training curriculum.
The most recent joint exercises/experiments involve integrating air and ground training scenarios, in which UND served as a Red Team — or simulated adversary — to the Air Guard and Army Guard units.
During one typical evolution, as the “Red-Team” UND Aerospace is using its Boeing Insitu ScanEagle UAS to monitor Army Guard members conducting ground training operations, the Air Guard is actively and simultaneously tracking the ScanEagles (using the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper) and communicating information to ground personnel.
Meanwhile, UND Aerospace is also using additional small UAS aircraft to encroach on Army command post locations, simulating a variety of scenarios that personnel may encounter from adversaries using uncrewed aircraft.
These scenarios create real-life situations in which the Air and Army Guard can train, evaluate tactics and improve future exercises, project leaders say. In addition, UND faculty, staff and students also gain real-world experience that will prepare students for the many jobs offered in UAS and Counter UAS Operations.
“This training exercise was made possible through North Dakota partnerships,” said Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard. “Partnerships like the one between the North Dakota National Guard and the University of North Dakota fuel innovation, and innovation drives military readiness.
“Together, they form the foundation of a force better prepared for the future.”
Col. Ryan Ayers, deputy commander of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing, agreed. Furthermore, he said, “the collaboration between UND Aerospace and the North Dakota National Guard is unlocking new training and experimentation possibilities that would otherwise be unfeasible.
“Through this unique North Dakota partnership, our mission readiness is enhanced, our joint warfighting is sharpened, and our ability to tactically adapt is accelerated.”
UND Aerospace as also partnered with Detect, Inc., and Vigilant Aerospace to provide additional detect and avoid (DAA) and airspace management capabilities to safely and effectively use the advanced technology and systems called for by these multi-entity scenarios.
“These partnerships and the advanced training grounds we have created together is a testament to the state of North Dakota’s dedication to working together and solving the nation’s greatest problems,” said Paul Snyder, director of UND’s UAS Operations program,
Moreover, “this is only the beginning,” Snyder said. “The future holds many more educational and research advancements as we blend this training with not only live assets, but simulated environments as well.”
And as noted by Robert Kraus, dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND, “this exercise has once again shown that North Dakota is the premier location for testing new technology and autonomous systems, both aerial and terrestrial.
“It also underscores our collective commitment — from industry, academia and the military — to improving national defense.”
UND Aerospace is the first four-year university to offer a degree in UAS Operations and continues to lead in UAS and Counter UAS education, research and training. UND Aerospace is a world-renowned center for aerospace learning, nationally acclaimed for our achievements in collegiate aviation education, atmospheric research, space studies and earth system science and policy research.
With more than 500 faculty and staff members, 2,100-plus students from around the world and myriad programs and projects, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is setting the pace for the future of flight. www.aero.und.edu
DeTect Inc. is a fully integrated radar company with research, engineering and manufacturing facilities in Florida, Canada and Poland, and offices in North Dakota, California, Hawaii, London, Poland and South Korea. Since 2003, DeTect has manufactured and delivered more than 1,100 systems in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Learn more about our work with UND Aerospace here.
Vigilant Aerospace is the leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones). The company’s product, FlightHorizon, is based on two NASA patents and uses data from multiple sources to display a real-time picture of the air traffic around a UAS and to provide automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to meet industry technical standards, to provide automatic safety and to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The software has won multiple industry awards and the company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and with a variety of drone development programs. Visit our website at www.VigilantAerospace.com