Inspired Flight details how North Dakota’s Vantis program is bringing together airspace infrastructure, operational support, and industry partnerships to support Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. Read more >>
A program of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Vantis has developed into a statewide operational network covering approximately 5,000 square miles. The framework builds on nearly 15 years of development, including earlier work with General Atomics that explored whether radar and other surveillance technologies could safely replace the visual observers and chase aircraft traditionally required for long-range unmanned flights.
Those demonstrations supported thousands of BVLOS flights involving large unmanned aircraft operating from Grand Forks Air Force Base. The concept subsequently developed into a network combining surveillance, communications, operational coordination, and regulatory support, with plans to extend surveillance through additional FAA radar integration.
The feature also examines the role of the Vantis Champion Operator program, which helps organizations select aircraft, integrate technology, navigate the regulatory process, and develop workflows for real-world operations. Frontier Precision became Vantis’ second Champion Operator and secured an aircraft-agnostic FAA waiver enabling qualifying NDAA-compliant aircraft under 55 pounds to operate throughout Vantis service volumes. Frontier also worked with a Fargo software developer to create an application that enables participating aircraft to exchange telemetry with Vantis, giving operators and the network a shared understanding of activity during a mission.
Security forms another part of the framework, with participation in Vantis requiring aircraft aligned with NDAA requirements. North Dakota has also established a $9 million Drone Replacement Program to help agencies modernize their fleets, with approximately 33 state agencies across North Dakota able to upgrade their fleets. Through Frontier Precision, aircraft such as Inspired Flight Technologies’ IF800 and IF1200 are being evaluated and flown within the Vantis ecosystem, where operators can pair NDAA-compliant aircraft with infrastructure needed for advanced operations.
Read ‘How North Dakota Is Building the Future of BVLOS Drone Operations’ for more information.
