Hoeven Announces Project ULTRA Support for U.S. Central Command

Hoeven Announces Project ULTRA Support for U.S. Central Command

CENTCOM To Partner with Project ULTRA for UAS Tests at Grand Sky

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven announced today that officials with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) will conduct unmanned aerial system (UAS) tests at Grand Sky in September in partnership with Grand Sky-based Project ULTRA. The tests will make use of Grand Sky facilities and airspace access as well as the expertise of Project ULTRA to demonstrate the potential military uses of a variety of mid-sized unmanned aircraft. The partnership is facilitated by an open contract with the Department of Defense that Hoeven helped establish with a value of up to $100 million.

"We set up Project ULTRA to deliver the benefits of UAS to our servicemembers at home and abroad, and this new partnership with CENTCOM shows how powerful Project ULTRA can be," Hoeven said. "We look forward to working closely with CENTCOM to provide our warfighters advanced UAS technology quickly and efficiently."

While at Grand Sky, CENTCOM will test aircraft in its Early Vertical take-off and land Aircraft Demonstrator or "EVADE" program. The program is intended to assess the potential military uses of mid-sized vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft, including cargo delivery flights similar to those Project ULTRA is conducting between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Cavalier Space Force Station. CENTCOM will conduct these tests using the Project ULTRA contract as part of Project ULTRA's task order to demonstrate a variety of mission profiles, including cargo delivery flights.

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