Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Test Resource Management Center to convert Global Hawk aircraft to aid in hypersonic missile testing
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GRAND FORKS, N.D. – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, celebrated the latest development in the SkyRange program—the addition of more RQ-4 aircraft to the SkyRange fleet—with Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Director George Rumford, Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski, and Grand Forks County Commissioner Chair Tom Falck. TRMC will convert Global Hawk aircraft for use in hypersonic missile testing.
“Grand Sky is a proven leader in aerospace and unmanned systems, and with today’s announcement, they will be a critical component to the testing and development of hypersonic missile technology. This new mission and capability will strengthen our nation’s defense and security as well as bring additional economic and employment opportunities to the Grand Forks community. This is one more part of a technological ecosystem that makes North Dakota critical to national security and innovation,” said Senator Cramer. “Today would not have been possible without the leadership of Senator Hoeven. We thank Director Rumford for coming to North Dakota and experiencing our excellence firsthand.”
Leaders from Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Honeywell, BlueHalo, Stratolaunch, and additional SkyRange partners were also in attendance. At the announcement, contractors at SkyRange took the opportunity to show off the Sky Hawk program, including RQ-4 Global Hawks and MQ-9 Predators.
Following the announcement, Senator Cramer participated in a Community Leaders SkyRange Fleet Expansion Information Session at Minnkota Power to discuss the economic and employment impact on the greater Grand Forks community and northeast North Dakota. The session also included Senator Hoeven, TRMC Director Rumford, and Mayor Bochenski.
Background:
SkyRange is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to retrofit long-endurance unmanned aerial systems with advanced instrumentation to support high-priority DoD flight tests. SkyRange enables the DoD to develop cutting-edge weapon systems that advance National Defense Strategy objectives. Grand Sky in Grand Forks County, North Dakota serves as SkyRange’s central hub, making the location an integral and critical component of the DoD’s test and evaluation infrastructure and strategy.