Flying High in Minot UAS industry takes off in Magic City

By Stephanie Hoffart

It’s no secret that the future of economic growth in our communities lies in innovation, bold thinking and grabbing hold of promising ideas when they become available. That describes the emerging industry of unmanned aerial systems in the northern Great Plains, especially in Minot, and the initiative underway to advance this type of business.

For more than a year, the Minot Area Development Corp. has been researching, networking and now committing to becoming the hub for a broad-based UAS initiative called MAGIC Sky. This initiative will position us to foster and support the maturing aspects of the UAS industry.

The initiative is far more than simply attracting good businesses from the industry to the area – although it will do that. It’s also about teaming up with strategic partners across the industry to truly capitalize on the many advantages of the Minot region, while supporting all aspects of this emerging primary business sector.

To start off, the advantages that MAGIC Sky brings to the table are unique. Our city’s proximity to the Bakken and access to key businesses such as Hess Corp., Enbridge and many others set us apart from other locations.

Open skies, including a diverse and uncongested airspace, are critical for UAS operations. Minot’s blue skies and diverse climate make the city ideal for testing new drones and drone technologies.

Access to a wide variety of agricultural and energy applications also provides more opportunities than other potential locations. Think pipeline inspections, or field application reports to ensure quality crops.

The possibilities are endless, and the advantages of hosting this initiative in the Magic City are obvious. Not to mention the internships and jobs for Minot State University and Minot Public School students, the world-class Minot Air Force Base with its thousands of active-duty and retired personnel and Minot’s strategic location at the intersection of two Class 1 railroads and three U.S. highways.

Most good initiatives get their start when two parties believe in each other and take a calculated leap into a long-term relationship. That’s definitely the case with the MAGIC Sky Initiative’s first anchor tenant, SkySkopes.

Founded by current company president and CEO Matt Dunlevy in 2014, SkySkopes and its expansion to Minot will create new jobs, expand the local tax base, increase capital investment and be an attractive piece for other companies currently showing interest in joining the growing UAS industry in Minot.

Our community views SkySkopes as the first of many industry leading companies to call the Magic City home.

SkySkopes’ goal is to bring 15 full-time employees into the company’s Minot office by the end of 2019, leveraging MAGIC Fund dollars and millions in other capital investments. It’s exciting to see a partner in the UAS Industry believe in this key endeavor.

In our view, the future of the MAGIC Sky Initiative has no limits –not even the sky! Minot Area Development Corp. representatives are participating in key national and regional gatherings on the future of UAS in the United States – including the recent Drone Focus Conference in Fargo and the AUVSI Xponential Conference in Dallas this spring.

These opportunities are making it clear to us that Minot can and will become more than just a location for high-quality UAS users such as SkySkopes. Our work to finalize partnerships with companies that specialize in UAS manufacturing and data analytics is providing us with key pieces up and down the industry food chain.

For example, with SkySkopes, our first partner in MAGIC Sky, we’ll house the first Robot Aviation drone in the U.S. right here in Minot. It’s a true achievement in embracing an emerging industry with the MAGIC Sky Initiative that’ll continue to make our region the location for new primary sector business in the UAS world. PB

Stephanie Hoffart PRESIDENT/CEO

Dave Hambleton, Grand Sky program manager and site lead for Northrop Grumman Corp., sees great things ahead for America’s first commercial UASfocused business park.

Dave Hambleton Grand Sky program manager and site lead

Northrop Grumman Grand Forks, N.D.

Q. A.

WHAT DOES YOUR POSITION AT NORTHROP GRUMMAN ENTAIL?

I’m Northrop Grumman’s Grand Sky program manager and site lead. Essentially, this position is the lead for developing the statements of work that Northrop Grumman will execute at our Grand Sky facility, crafting the personnel staffing requirements, planning the capital equipment procurements and connecting these requirements to the funding sources that will enable them.

A.

WHAT MAKES NORTH DAKOTA SO ATTRACTIVE FOR NORTHROP GRUMMAN AND THE UAS INDUSTRY?

Northrop Grumman recognized the special commitment the Red River Valley region has made to develop a world class UAS technology corridor. We signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with North Dakota officials in 2013 to expand business operations here and help contribute to making North Dakota a center of innovation for autonomous capabilities.

What’s more, North Dakota’s elected, business and community leaders have shown great vision in pulling together their state’s innovative university system, rich tradition with the U.S. Air Force and the FAA UAS Test Site to create a unique environment for UAS technology research to thrive.

In addition, having our U.S. Air Force Global Hawk aircraft based at Grand Forks Air Force Base is an added attraction.

WHAT KIND OF TESTING IS BEING PERFORMED AT THE NEW FACILITY?

This facility will serve as a nucleus for research and development; pilot, operator and maintainer training; operations and mission analysis; and aircraft maintenance.

Northrop Grumman intends to establish a UAS flight test and experimentation capability at Grand Sky from which to conduct operations in both restricted and civil airspace. Associated with this will be activity to pursue or establish airworthiness policies and airspace integration approaches conducive to integration of UAS into the National Airspace System.

We expect to collaborate with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in these activities.

Q. A.

WHAT IS THE COMPANY’S VISION FOR SUCCESS AT THE GRAND FORKS FACILITY?

The generation of future jobs at the Grand Sky site is tied to the growing unmanned systems business area, such as the expansion of research and development, aircrew and maintenance training, operations support, mission planning and analysis and systems testing and demonstration in the local region.

Northrop Grumman also plans to build a hangar on our Grand Sky site in the years ahead. We expect to begin construction this summer and have the hangar completed by the end of 2018. We would expect to begin work at the hangar in early 2019.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR UAS IN THE REGION?

There’s no way to predict with certainty what will happen in the future, but if you’ll forgive the pun, we’re quite certain the sky’s the limit. We believe North Dakota and specifically the Red River Valley have positioned themselves better than anywhere else regarding UAS research and development.

Northrop Grumman shares the belief that autonomy is the future of aviation and looks forward to working with North Dakota to help shape that future.