State Gains Unprecedented Access to Expand Vantis Network Operations

North Dakota has become the first non-federal entity in the nation to access unfiltered Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data, a milestone that enables advanced drone operations across the state through the Vantis network.

The achievement was announced on April 15, 2026, following years of collaboration between the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, the North Dakota Department of Commerce, Thales, and North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT), which designed and implemented the secure digital infrastructure needed to integrate federal aviation systems with the Vantis platform.

U.S. Senator John Hoeven, FAA officials, and leaders from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site participated in the activation of the secure radar data feed, which allows Vantis to receive continuous radar data on aircraft activity in surrounding airspace.