University of North Dakota to Help Pentagon Evaluate Counter-Drone Technologies – Dronelife

University of North Dakota to Help Pentagon Evaluate Counter-Drone Technologies  Dronelife

University of North Dakota and Northern Plains UAS Test Site will help the Pentagon identify and evaluate counter-drone technologies . In the first collaboration of its type in the nation, the University of North Dakota, in cooperation with the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site (NPUASTS), has signed up to assist the U.S. government in deciding which counter-UAS systems should be offered for use by the nation’s armed forces. Last month, the university and the test site signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401). The agreement, signed at the 20th UAS Summit & Expo at Alerus Center in Grand Forks “establishes UND as the first and only university in the nation to serve as a clearinghouse for the task force’s counter-drone technology efforts,” according to a statement.

“Alongside the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, UND will help identify promising counter-drone technologies for further evaluation and development.” JIATF-401, which helps the procurement of equipment across all branches of the U.S. military, has been charged with coordinating counter-drone defenses for all U.S. Armed Services. Through the new partnership, UND will contribute research and technical expertise to help the task force determine which of the many emerging counter-UAS technologies warrant further development. Mark Askelson, UND associate vice president for research – national security, said