To cement its relationship with an Israeli-based large unmanned aircraft vehicle manufacturer and operator, a group of North Dakota delegates traveled to Israel in January. “This was really an effort from North Dakota’s perspective—the Grand Forks (N.D.) Economic Development Corp., the Department of Commerce and the governor’s office—to go to Elbit and cement the relationship and show that the state really supports UAS activity,” said Dean Gorder, North Dakota Trade Office executive director.&nbsp;Elbit systems, listed as one of the top five vendors in the global UAS market by London-based research firm Technavio, is slated to work with North Dakota State University and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site on a project to fly a large UAV capable of high-altitude and multi-hour endurance for precision agriculture research, to collect data and monitor chemically resistant weeds, crop stands and nutrient deficiencies. Elbit will fly its Hermes 450.&nbsp;“Elbit gave us a significant amount of time and access to very senior-level executives,” Gorder said. “We were able to lay out our vision for the future for the UAS industry in North Dakota. Elbit was very much in agreement with what the state of North Dakota was discussing.”&nbsp;

UAS NEWS | North Dakota Delegation Visits Large-UAS Vendor Elbit in Israel .css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

UAS NEWS | North Dakota Delegation Visits Large-UAS Vendor Elbit in Israel