As part of his military tour of North Dakota, U.S. Senator John Hoeven held a roundtable to highlight fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding he secured to bolster the space and unmanned missions in Grand Forks. This includes full funding for&nbsp;Space Development Agency (SDA)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Test Resource Management Center (TRMC)&nbsp;activities in Grand Forks, keeping the region the tip of the spear for space and hypersonic missions. This supports the SDA&nbsp;low-Earth orbit satellite mission&nbsp;at Grand Forks Air Force Base and TRMC’s&nbsp;Sky Range&nbsp;hypersonic missile testing program at Grand Sky.At the same time, Hoeven secured more than $100 million for defense research and development efforts across North Dakota, of which more than $30 million will support defense research partnerships in the Grand Forks region, such as:<ul><li>The Space Dynamics Laboratory’s (SDL) Dark Swarm project.</li><li>The Energy and Environmental Research Center’s (EERC) work on fast refueling fuel cells for Army vehicles.</li><li>Ideal Aerosmith’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) modeling and simulation project.</li><li>The University of North Dakota’s (UND) UAS Immersive Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) project.&nbsp;</li></ul>“The funding we’ve secured in FY24 truly drives home that Grand Forks is an innovation hub for U.S. national defense. We have developed a well-rounded set of missions, starting with our role as a premier location for UAS and now with our missions covering ISR, hypersonic and space operations,” said Hoeven. “Beyond the missions themselves, we’ve built a range of partnerships with our research institutions and private industry. With the $100 million we secured, $30 million specifically for Grand Forks, these partners are developing exciting new technologies that will augment and enhance military operations from the ground all the way up into orbit.”SDL Dark Swarm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; SDL, a Utah-based University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC), came to North Dakota to utilize local expertise in unmanned aircraft operations for a Naval Research Laboratory project on unmanned aircraft swarms. Hoeven secured $6 million for the project in FY24, bringing the total project funding to $23 million since FY21. Specifically:<ul><li>SDL is working to learn how a swarm of UAS can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in an environment where the enemy is attempting to deny normal communications.</li><li>North Dakota is critical to this five-year effort, as it offers airspace and UAS expertise that is not available anywhere else in the U.S.</li><li>SDL is working with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to gain the required Federal Aviation Administration approvals, coordinating with Grand Sky and Grand Forks Air Force Base to develop its testing and demonstration program and working with UND on algorithms that help coordinate swarm activities.</li></ul>EERC Fuel CellsHoeven provided $3.5 million in FY24, for a total of nearly $18 million across FY22-FY24, for the EERC’s effort to create fast-refueling hydrogen fuel cells for Army vehicles. Currently, the fuel requirements of heavy-duty Army vehicles create significant logistical challenges for missions. This project will give Army vehicles greater range and shorter refueling times, with a focus on creating engines that fit within existing vehicles.Ideal Aerosmith UAS Modeling &amp; SimulationHoeven worked to provide $8 million for an Ideal Aerosmith project to allow UAS to fly life-like mission simulations without leaving the lab. This results in improved vehicle designs and control systems, while supporting more effective mission plans for military UAS. As a result of federal support like this, the company has added 25 employees this year, now employs 130 people in the Grand Forks area, is rapidly outgrowing its existing facilities and looking to expand.UND AR/VR for Unmanned AircraftBetween FY23 and FY24, Hoeven secured $9 million for this UND effort to develop an AR/VR headset for soldiers that displays data from unmanned aircraft. Such a device would provide comprehensive battlefield data in an immersive environment, giving troops a significant advantage in their operations. This builds upon a <a href="https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/news/news-releases/hoeven-announces-dod-funding-to-und-for-augmented-reality-tech-research-and-development">recent project</a> that Hoeven supported providing soldiers with access to similar data as a display on a vehicle windshield.North Dakota’s Growing Role in National DefenseSenator Hoeven is holding meetings across North Dakota to highlight the state’s growing role in U.S. national defense and to outline important priorities included for the state’s missions in the FY24 defense funding legislation, which he helped author. The tour so far has included a meeting on modernizing the dual-nuclear mission in Minot, a new project by Bismarck State College and BlueHalo to augment Sky Range and this morning’s roundtable in Grand Forks, with the tour to conclude at a defense research and development discussion in Fargo.

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Senator Highlights $30 Million for Grand Forks Research, Incl. Dark Swarm, EERC Fuel Cells, Ideal Aerosmith UAS Simulation & UND AR/VR Projects.

Hoeven: Grand Forks An Innovation Hub For Unmanned And Space Military Missions

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