Anno.Ai brings together leaders from around the world to explore solutions to urgent drone technology gaps in defense

Multi-day event highlighted challenges, solutions, and North Dakota'sunique role in advancing this technology

Devils Lake, N.D. — The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) needs solutions to fieldmore unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at a faster rate from a broader pool ofmanufacturers. But most manufacturers don't have timely access to a test spacethat reflects real-world conditions where they can see their product in action,identify shortcomings and implement necessary improvements.

Overthe course of three days last week, the Versus UAS/C-UAS Symposium andDemonstration, organized and led by Anno.Ai, a company that creates testinginfrastructure for autonomous platforms in commercial and defense ecosystems, educatedU.S. and allied leaders on the challenges they collectively face and offeredanswers to help address this known national security issue.

Heldat Camp Grafton on the north shore of North Dakota's Devils Lake, this uniqueevent brought together federal and state officials, active and retired militarypersonnel, industry leaders, and representatives from nearly a dozen alliednations, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ukraine. Inaddition to panel discussions, presentations, and group conversations, theevent featured on-site demonstrations of UAS and counter-UAS technology.

"TheUnited States' UAS and counter-UAS defense technology being used inbattlefields today is not combat-effective,” said Steven Witt, co-founder andCEO of Anno.Ai. “It hasn't worked because manufacturers weren't able to testthe technology in combat-like situations before they were deployed. Theartificial intelligence systems used in this technology needs to be trained torecognize real-world conditions to deliver results, but most companies don'thave access to battlefield-like test settings. That's what we're focused onhere in North Dakota, building out a test range that creates opportunities torapidly test, improve and deploy new UAS technology."

Unmannedaerial systems, commonly referred to as drones, have become an essentialfeature of modern combat. The battle-tested approach currently being used bythe Ukrainian military — grassroots development of inexpensive products thatcan be rapidly fielded, tested and improved — has drawn the attention ofelected and military leaders in the U.S and allied nations as they exploreopportunities to replicate this approach.

Inthe United States, national leaders have publicly recognized that the U.S. hasfallen behind in its development and deployment of UAS technology. It's clearthat new ranges are needed to accelerate development of this technology, andthat they must be brought online thoughtfully, given the need to accuratelyreplicate a wide variety of real-world field conditions.

Anno.Ai,along with many of those who attended the Versus symposium, envision a moderntesting range anchored at Camp Grafton, where geography, topography,infrastructure, and regulations related to unmanned systems create a uniquelywelcoming environment for this important work. This concept has been developedby experienced entrepreneurs, military contributors and policymakers to allowthe DoD to work in close partnership with manufacturers to quickly andefficiently build and test UAS and counter-UAS solutions.

Federalleaders from North Dakota have enthusiastically endorsed the concept, includingU.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, U.S. Senator John Hoeven, and U.S. RepresentativeJulie Fedorchak.

"TheUAS threat is not new, but we are waking up to how significant the threat isand the absolute need to get ahead of it," Cramer said during his remarksat the event. "North Dakota provides the best iteration and testing spacein the country, with lower levels of bureaucracy, wide open spaces, and a stategovernment unafraid of putting money toward national defensetechnologies."

Cramer'sremarks echo what his fellow Senator from North Dakota shared in an Augustletter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Seth Hegseth.

"Ihave worked for decades to support the development of drone technology and theinfrastructure and expertise necessary to support both private industry and theDepartment of Defense, and I want to emphasize North Dakota’s strongposition," Hoeven wrote, adding "Camp Grafton’s facilities and rangesoffer airspace, terrain, and infrastructure uniquely capable of providingimmediate support for DoD’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and counter-UAS testing andtraining needs."

Duringher visit to the symposium, Fedorchak emphasized that "the U.S. absolutelyhas to lead" and that establishing that leadership is an urgent point offocus. "Real-world test ranges are absolutely vital for the companies whoare developing these technologies. We need to push on the gas and reallyencourage our innovators to innovate and help us lead like we typically do indefense."

"Today,the waiting list to get on a U.S. test range can be up to a decade or more.That means by the time you get your system on a test range, it's completelyobsolete," said Witt. "This event brought together people who cancollectively knock down that barrier to U.S. technological leadership and closethe gap that's emerged in this critical area of national defense. We're excitedto see what we can achieve together in the days ahead."

‍