Project ULTRA Transforms DoD Logistics and Transportation Management with Advanced UAS Technology
Written by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb
Grand Forks County, located in eastern North Dakota, recently announced a new strategic partnership with GrandSKY, a local UAV-related business development area located at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The new partnership, called Project ULTRA (UAS Logistics, Traffic, Research, and Autonomy), aims to improve the Department of Defense’s (DOD) UAS capabilities. This effort is supported by Senator John Hoeven and is consistent with the strategic goals of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)).
Project ULTRA, involving federal and civilian agencies including NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and MITER, aims to transform logistics and transportation management within the National Airspace System using UAS technology.
“We are thrilled that Grand Forks County is a part of Project ULTRA,” said David Engen, Grand Forks County Board of Commissioners Chairman. “This contract builds on the County’s investment in GrandSKY and reflects the County’s vested interest in maintaining the base and supporting the men and women who work and serve at Grand Forks AFB. We are also pleased that the County will be able to provide this service and support the team that will carry out this work.”
The project, contracted to Washington Headquarters Services, consists of a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a maximum cap of $18.25 million, according to a press release. Task orders are being issued to define specific project and funding details. Task Order 01 is valued at $2,480,281 and is scheduled to begin on or about May 29, 2024 and be completed by September 30, 2024.
The main goals of Project ULTRA:
- Enhance airspace situational awareness and traffic management within the NAS through testing and evaluation of UTM and other traffic management systems.
- Develop reliable, replicable, and scalable logistics and supply delivery systems to remote military locations.
- Leverages Beyond Line of Sight (BVLOS) capabilities to create a scalable service model for a variety of DoD installations.
- Integrating small UAS (sUAS) capabilities improves the quality of life for military personnel and their families.
- Develop sustainable and scalable Counter UAS (cUAS) technology to enhance physical security measures at military installations and integrate cUAS technology with traffic management.
The project aims to leverage North Dakota’s well-developed UAS infrastructure and align the interests of multiple organizations to achieve operational goals. Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS), a leader in autonomous technology solutions, will provide critical support for flight path modeling, UAS selection, and FAA coordination.
“On behalf of GrandSKY, we are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working with a very talented team,” said Tom Swoyer, President of GrandSKY. “We are grateful that Grand Forks County is stepping up and supporting these efforts and will build on our already very strong partnership with the Northern Plains testing site. We look forward to leveraging our current capabilities to accelerate the development of UAS-based delivery solutions, UAS response solutions, and ultimately integrate all of this with state-of-the-art UAS traffic management.”
“We are excited to work with our partners at Project ULTRA to execute this important mission for the Department of Defense,” said Trevor Woods, executive director of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. “Our work will lead to significant improvements in logistics and transportation management, and we continue to accelerate industrial and defense capabilities by building on our team’s previous experience enabling Beyond Line of Sight (BVLOS).”
Additional information about the GrandSky project is available here. here.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE, CEO of JobForDrones, a marketplace for professional drone services, and a keen observer of the emerging drone industry and the drone regulatory environment. Miriam has authored over 3,000 articles focusing on the commercial drone space and she is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam holds a degree from the University of Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience in high-tech sales and new technology marketing.
If you would like to consult or write about the drone industry, please email Miriam.
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