GRAND FORKS – The future of rural aviation took flight recently with the successful completion of a beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone delivery of medical supplies more than 80 miles between Williston and Watford City, according to the Northern Plains UAS (NPUASTS) Test Site in Grand Forks.

The flight was conducted by iSight Drone Services, in collaboration with the NPUASTS and Vantis, North Dakota’s statewide beyond line of sight (BVLOS) system.

The operation was part of Project RuralReach, a collaborative initiative led by the University of North Dakota Center for Innovation and funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration through its ARPA Economic Adjustment Assistance Program. The project aims to demonstrate how unmanned aerial systems can enhance quality of life, economic resilience and access to critical services in rural communities.

Unlike many previous unmanned aerial system deliveries conducted in tightly controlled urban environments, this mission navigated dynamic, uncontrolled airspace populated by low-flying, non-cooperative aircraft potentially operating without transponders, the NPUASTS reported. Safely conducting operations in this environment requires sophisticated infrastructure to detect and deconflict all air traffic in real time. That capability was made possible by Vantis. Designed specifically to enable safe, scalable BVLOS operations, Vantis provides integrated surveillance, aircraft detection and command-and-control connectivity across rural regions where traditional air traffic systems fall short.

“Rural communities don’t have the luxury of cooperative-only airspace,” said Erin Roesler, deputy executive director of the NPUASTS. “What makes this operation so impactful is that it proves BVLOS can be done safely; even in complex, real-world rural environments, and that it can bring real value to North Dakota communities.”

iSight Drone Services received $50,000 through the program to test long-range delivery operations in western North Dakota.