AeroVironment Deploys Counter-Drone Technology at Grand Forks Air Force Base
GRAND FORKS, North Dakota — October 15, 2025:
AeroVironment announced Tuesday that it will deploy a new counter-drone capability at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, marking a critical milestone in its support for the U.S. government’s Golden Dome for America initiative — a national effort to establish a layered air and missile defense network.
The deployment will integrate AeroVironment’s Titan and Titan-SV counter-UAS systems with its AV Halo Command software, providing advanced situational awareness and early-warning capabilities against aerial threats.
Strengthening U.S. Air Base Defense
AeroVironment, a California-based defense technology company known for its loitering munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, and counter-drone systems, is partnering with Grand Sky, the commercial UAS business and aviation park adjacent to the Air Force base.
Together, the firms will install inner-layer distributed counter-UAS capabilities at Grand Forks, designed to detect, identify, and track drones and other low-altitude threats beyond the visual line of sight.
According to AeroVironment, the integrated system will “provide a single operating picture of the surrounding airspace,” enhancing protection for U.S. military infrastructure and personnel.
Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment’s president and CEO, said the initiative represents a key component of the company’s broader contribution to Golden Dome for America.
“We’re deploying technologies that deliver unmatched situational awareness to Grand Forks AFB, while providing a roadmap to expand these limited area defense capabilities at critical sites throughout the nation,” Nawabi said in the announcement.
“By combining our surveillance and edge-intelligence technologies with the vision of Grand Sky and the support of leaders like Senator Hoeven, we are accelerating solutions that will protect critical U.S. military installations and the service members who operate within them.”
Building Toward the Golden Dome Initiative
The Golden Dome for America program aims to develop a nationwide, multi-layered air and missile defense network capable of countering emerging aerial threats — from small drones to hypersonic weapons.
AeroVironment’s work at Grand Forks serves as a proof-of-concept deployment, establishing a foundation for broader implementation across U.S. critical defense sites.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, a key advocate for the initiative, emphasized the urgency of developing advanced counter-UAS capabilities in light of global conflicts.
“Recent attacks on Israel and Ukraine have shown new and dangerous ways drones are being used to wage war,” Hoeven stated. “The capabilities and partnerships we’ve built in the Grand Forks region will enable our nation to tackle this emerging threat.”
The Grand Forks deployment builds upon the memorandum of understanding signed in March between AeroVironment and Grand Sky under Project Ultra — a $110 million drone and counter-drone initiative supported by Hoeven.
Integrating Counter-UAS and Missile Defense
In August, AeroVironment also announced a strategic partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to create an open-architecture air and missile defense system. That system, envisioned to support Golden Dome, will integrate both passive and active defense layers — from RF and radar sensors to directed energy and kinetic interceptors.
AeroVironment said the approach would enable modular and scalable defense networks, capable of countering threats ranging from small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to advanced cruise missiles.
“Together with SNC, we can produce novel and affordable systems to defend military bases, ships, airfields, and critical U.S. infrastructure,” Nawabi noted earlier this year.
The company highlighted that future Golden Dome systems may incorporate directed energy, electronic warfare, and cyber defense elements, creating a holistic and flexible defense architecture.
Strategic Significance of Grand Forks AFB
Located near the U.S.-Canada border, Grand Forks Air Force Base hosts key Air Force and Department of Homeland Security operations, including global unmanned aircraft missions and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) functions.
The integration of AeroVironment’s counter-UAS systems at the base represents a significant operational testbed for future homeland defense applications.
Grand Sky’s unique position as the nation’s first commercial UAS business and aviation park further enhances the site’s suitability for testing and developing dual-use drone defense solutions — bridging military and civilian airspace management.
A Step Toward a National Defense Network
Analysts view AeroVironment’s deployment as an early demonstration of how U.S. industry partnerships can accelerate the Golden Dome vision — a distributed, layered defense network spanning airbases, coastal installations, and strategic sites across the continental United States.
By leveraging open-architecture technologies and modular integration, the Grand Forks project could help establish standards for data fusion, networked sensor operations, and edge computing within the national air defense ecosystem.
As global conflicts increasingly demonstrate the tactical impact of low-cost drones and loitering munitions, the U.S. military’s emphasis on domestic airspace protection is expected to grow.
What’s Next
Following the Grand Forks deployment, AeroVironment and its partners are expected to expand trials to other defense installations as part of Project Ultra’s roadmap. The technologies and lessons derived from this effort could play a critical role in shaping the U.S. Department of Defense’s long-term integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) strategy.
The company has not disclosed specific timelines for wider rollout, but the Grand Forks deployment is anticipated to serve as a model for additional installations nationwide.
As the Golden Dome for America initiative progresses, the collaboration among AeroVironment, SNC, Grand Sky, and North Dakota leadership underscores a growing public-private partnership model for U.S. homeland defense modernization.
