North Dakota considers $30 million boost to Vantis drone network

North Dakota is leaving little to chance in its efforts to become the US leader in drone activity and infrastructure development, with legislators now considering a proposed $37 million spending boost for two of the state’s UAV projects, including its Vantis beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) network.

Lawmakers will be deciding whether to approve that $37 million in additional funding as part of Governor Doug Burgumsaid’s proposed budget for 2023 to 2025. His plan calls for $30 million to be directed to North Dakota’s Vantis BVLOS drone network – a groundbreaking system unique in the US in covering the entire state. The remainder will be used by the Grand Sky UAV business and aviation park in Grand Forks. 

There’s a good chance legislators will approve the financial lift as a means of building on the momentum the BVLOS project has attained. In the relatively short time since North Dakota unveiled its plans for Vantis in 2020, virtually…