The nation’s first commercial UAS park is building a $100M counter-drone testing center as drone threats escalate. That’s GrandSKY, the nation’s first commercial unmanned aircraft business park.
GrandSKY announced this week that it has deployed a foundational counter-drone architecture at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. To build it, it’s partnering with defense giant AeroVironment. Officials have said they hope their model could become a national center of excellence for counter-UAS operations.
The deployment, which includes AeroVironment’s AV_Halo COMMAND software and Titan-SV radio frequency-based counter-UAS system, represents the first phase of a comprehensive, layered defense system focused on detecting, identifying and tracking unmanned aerial threats. The initiative is part of what’s called Project ULTRA. Project ULTRA is a $100 million public-private effort to position Grand Forks as the country’s proving ground for advanced counter-drone defense.
“We are building the future of air defense right here in North Dakota,” said GrandSKY President Thomas Swoyer Jr in a prepared statement. “This deployment reflects the strategic evolution of GrandSKY as it endeavors to create a national counter-UAS center of excellence.”
The announcement comes as military and security officials worldwide grapple with the rapidly evolving threat of small drones. From commercial quadcopters weaponized in Ukraine to swarms threatening military installations, the proliferation of drones has created what defense experts describe as one of the most pressing tactical challenges of modern warfare.
The AeroVironment factor
AeroVironment has emerged as a major player in both sides of the drone equation. It’s the U.S. military’s top supplier of small drones, and it’s also increasingly as a provider of systems to counter them. The Virginia-based defense contractor, which trades on NASDAQ under the ticker AVAV, has seen its stock surge over 160% in the past six months, driven by soaring demand for its unmanned systems and a massive NATO defense spending commitment announced earlier this year.
AeroVironment has transformed from what analysts once described as a niche drone maker into an integrated defense technology powerhouse. Through strategic acquisitions, including the $405 million purchase of Arcturus UAV in 2021 and the more recent BlueHalo acquisition, AeroVironment has expanded beyond basic reconnaissance drones into loitering munitions, counter-UAS systems, directed energy weapons and cyber capabilities.
Its Switchblade loitering munitions — essentially kamikaze drones — have gained particular prominence. The systems come in two configurations: the Switchblade 300 for attacking personnel and the larger Switchblade 600 for taking out armored vehicles. In 2023, Israel requested 200 Switchblade 600 units from the U.S. Department of Defense.
But it’s the counter-drone side of AeroVironment’s business that’s increasingly attracting attention. With drones proliferating globally and becoming cheaper and more capable, the market for systems to detect and defeat them has exploded. NATO’s pledge to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 (that’s up from the previous 2% target) has created what one analyst called a “$2.7 trillion boost” for defense contractors, with drone and counter-drone systems positioned as major beneficiaries.
The counter-drone challenge
The deployment at GrandSKY addresses a critical vulnerability in modern air defense. Traditional radar and air defense systems were designed to detect large, fast-moving aircraft, not small drones that can cost as little as a few hundred dollars but require million-dollar missiles to shoot down.
The solution as implemented at Grand Forks involves layered defenses combining multiple detection methods such as radio frequency sensors, radar and optical systems. AeroVironment is also leaning into AI-powered software to manage threats.
For North Dakota, the GrandSKY initiative represents a strategic play to position the state at the forefront of drone technology, something it has long sought to do. The 217-acre facility already offers industry-leading amenities including over 11,000 square miles of beyond-visual-line-of-sight capability and 24/7 operations, leveraging its partnership with Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Senator John Hoeven, who announced the deployment, emphasized both the economic and security dimensions.
“Grand Forks continues to play a vital role in strengthening both North Dakota’s economy and America’s national security,” he said. “By leveraging these proven technologies at GrandSKY, we are ensuring our state remains at the forefront of innovation.”
The deployment builds on a memorandum of understanding signed between GrandSKY and AeroVironment in March 2025, which formalized their cooperation on Project ULTRA. The initiative envisions Grand Forks becoming a hub where government, military, and private sector partners can test, develop and validate counter-drone technologies in real-world conditions.
AeroVironment CEO Wahid Nawabi called the Grand Forks deployment “an important step toward building a layered defense system for the nation against constantly evolving drone threats.”
GrandSky’s tech accelerator grows
The news comes on the heels of another recent announcement: GrandSKY, and its affiliate GFHive Management LLC, have won a five-year contract to manage and operate The HIVE, a technology accelerator and shared workspace dedicated to growing the region’s UAS ecosystem.
“Together, Grand Forks and GrandSKY have built world-class infrastructure that supports an ecosystem that leads the nation in autonomous systems and supports the defense of our nation,” Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski said. “This partnership with Grand Sky and the city-owned Hive in downtown Grand Forks, will continue to attract top companies leading innovation in aerospace, UAS, and edge-processing to secure long-term economic benefits for the community and state.”
The post GrandSKY and AeroVironment deploy counter-drone system at North Dakota Air Force Base appeared first on The Drone Girl.