Africa drone surveillance missions to be flown remotely from North Dakota

A new General Atomics facility near Grand Forks, N.D., will let pilots fly MQ-9A missions for U.S. Africa Command stateside rather than overseas. A Marine Corps MQ-9A Reaper taxis at Laguna Army Airfield, Ariz., April 1, 2025. A new General Atomics facility near Grand Forks, N.D., will let pilots fly MQ-9A missions for U.S. Africa Command stateside rather than overseas. (Marc J. Imprevert/U.S. Marine Corps) The U.S. military is moving contractor drone pilots from Africa to North Dakota, where they will fly surveillance missions remotely, thousands of miles from the aircraft. The shift, announced Friday by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and defense contractor General Atomics, is expected to save U.S.

Africa Command more than $10 million a year. During a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, the company opened the remote flight operations center near Grand Forks, where pilots will operate MQ-9A Reaper drones that support AFRICOM’s counterterrorism mission. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., center, joins General Atomics Aeronautical Systems CEO Linden Blue, second from left, and other industry officials at a ribbon cutting for a new remote-split operation facility near Grand Forks, N.D., Oct. 30, 2026. The facility will let pilots fly MQ-9A missions for U.S. Africa Command from North Dakota rather than overseas. (Courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems) Once fully staffed, the facility will support 50 well-paying jobs, Hoeven’s statement