Grand Forks, Where Drones Outnumber People

When people talk about innovation in tech, Silicon Valley often grabs the spotlight. Maybe even Austin, Seattle, or Boston. But let’s clear the runway: Grand Forks, North Dakota is the real MVP of innovative tech the Unmanned Autonomous Systems (UAS) world, but we’re way too humble to brag about it… until now!

Being only one hour from the northern border to Canada, this hidden gem is best known for its endless skies, championship hockey, friendly folks, and yes, the occasional blizzard. Lesser known is what’s happening behind the scenes. Grand Forks has quietly and confidently positioned itself as America’s UAS capital. It’s a place where Reaper aircraft fly training missions next to college kids learning how to operate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), where Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test flights are just another Tuesday, and where futuristic tech meets small-town hustle. And oh ya, you better not be late for the big hockey game at “The Ralph” on Friday or Saturday nights of most weekends in the winter.  A place not only to watch championship hockey, but also to do business and move innovation forward.

Let’s start with some buzz words that are more than just buzz, they are REALITY in Grand Forks.  Academic research (primary and applied), UAS research and operational testing, small UAS operations to the largest of all large UAS. There are Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Counter UAS, logistics and cargo operations. Then there are operations, for agriculture, energy, infrastructure, “drones as a first responder” operations, local and state-wide Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), defense and commercial manufacturing and operations…intrigued yet?

If you listen closely in Grand Forks, North Dakota, you might hear a buzz…not from bees, but from a swarm of startups, students, engineers, and entrepreneurs shaking up the skies. Welcome to The HIVE, the UAS Tech Accelerator that’s turning Grand Forks into the Silicon Valley of drone innovation minus the traffic and $8 lattes.

The HIVE isn’t just a cool name. It’s a hub of invention, a collaborative launchpad, and the nucleus of North Dakota’s booming drone and autonomy scene. Powered by a mix of local grit, global vision, and good ol’ Midwestern work ethic, The HIVE helps turn big ideas into high-flying realities.

So, what’s all the buzz about?

Whether you’re coding next-gen air traffic control software or building a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft that delivers emergency supplies to remote farms, The HIVE has your back. Startups here don’t just get desks, they get connected. FAA regulators, military commanders, university researchers, Grand Sky partners, and even Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank are all in the mix, ready to give feedback, open doors, and sometimes sign checks.

It’s a place where “Let’s have coffee” quickly turns into “Let’s write a test plan and pitch it to the Department of Defense.”  The HIVE is designed to take you from concept to contract.  The HIVE, made up of over 32 companies & 100+ individual members, is the high-octane fuel that powers a heavy hitter, home-grown ecosystem for anything that flies.  Period.  The HIVE even has a partnership with O’Leary Ventures to connect companies to venture capital, building startups right here in North Dakota.

Let’s continue with GrandSKY, a first-of-its-kind UAS-focused business park and flight operations center, tucked right into the grounds of Grand Forks Air Force Base. It’s not just an airfield, it’s a joint-use runway where military and civilian aircraft, mostly UAS, and aerospace dreams all take flight. With a 12,351-foot runway at their disposal, tenants like Northrop Grumman and General Atomics use the site to operate and test next-gen unmanned aircraft right alongside Reaper and Global Hawk.

But GrandSKY isn’t just flexing big names. It’s a full-blown laboratory with access to the sky. Here, manned and unmanned aircraft operate side by side under with tight regulatory coordination, creating a model for how airspace of the future might work. It’s also home to training programs, integration efforts, and even a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnered weather drone project that’s turning Grand Forks into a hotbed for meteorological innovation.

Just a short jog away, Grand Forks Air Force Base and the 319th Reconnaissance Wing are close operating partners with GrandSKY and helping to power military innovation at scale. Known for operating the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the base enables UAS operations essentially field-testing the future of the battlefield. The one-of-a-kind joint use agreement allows GrandSKY to operate a Ground Based Sense and Avoid System for BVLOS operations that has been operational since 2018.  The relationship between GrandSKY and Grand Forks AFB is creating the “base of the future” where public and private interests come together for mutual benefit.  In Grand Forks, that means thousands of hours of UAS operations annually.

Speaking of pushing boundaries, the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, one of only seven FAA-designated UAS test sites in the U.S., plays a starring role in making North Dakota the safest and most forward-thinking state for drone ops. This is where real-world testing happens: airspace sharing, sense-and-avoid systems, and unlocking beyond visual line of sight capabilities, the holy grail of commercial drone flight. The site also works together with Vantis, North Dakota’s statewide UAS network, to build drone corridors covering tens of thousands of square miles, all without stepping on the toes of manned aviation.

As one of the largest and most respected aerospace schools in the world, UND isn’t just training the next generation of pilots. They’re leading research in autonomous systems, BVLOS operations, UAS traffic management, and AI-driven flight technologies. With access to dedicated test ranges like Gorman Field, cutting-edge simulation labs, FAA-aligned curriculum, and direct partnerships with industry, government, and military leaders, UND is where tomorrow’s aviation breakthroughs are happening today. Whether it’s launching student-built drones or shaping national policy on unmanned systems, UND Aerospace is quite literally flying ahead of the curve.

What really sets Grand Forks apart is its culture of collaboration. This isn’t a collection of silos, it’s an ecosystem. Here, university researchers help shape the future of the skies. Air Force commanders chat strategy with startup founders. FAA staffers work directly with private industry to make the skies a safe place to test, operate, and do business. It’s a place where the walls between public, private, academic, and government sectors are practically nonexistent, and that’s exactly why innovation thrives here. It’s a place where the mayor played professional hockey for 14 years, is super business savvy, and is one phone call away. Elected officials are willing and excited to embrace new technology that continues to make North Dakota the leader in all things UAS. It’s also a place where the goal is to find a way to make things happen with a “yes” vs taking the easy road of never embracing change or innovation. The North Dakota work ethic is present in any meeting taking place around town and the speed at which projects can move is impressive to anyone moving here from other states.

Even your overnight stay in Grand Forks can feel like a nod to aviation history. The Olive Ann Hotel, named after aviation pioneer Olive Ann Beech, pays homage to one of the most influential women in aerospace. As co-founder and president of Beech Aircraft Corporation, she helped shape the modern aviation industry, and now her legacy lives on in the heart of downtown Grand Forks. The hotel blends sleek, modern luxury with subtle aviation-inspired design, offering visitors a place to unwind while staying immersed in the city’s aeronautical spirit. Whether you’re here for a conference, a startup pitch, or just a flight test, the Olive Ann makes sure your stay feels just as inspired as your work in the sky.

Grand Forks isn’t just leading the way in unmanned flight, it helps reimagine aviation altogether. From student pilots to defense contractors, quadcopters to transcontinental drones, this community has built the most vibrant and future-forward aviation ecosystem in the country.

So, whether you’re flying it, building it, regulating it, or just dreaming it, Grand Forks, North Dakota is where the future of flight is already cleared for takeoff!