Sen. John Hoeven helped dedicate the runway at Grand Forks Air Force Base on Oct. 28, 2026, and described its role in supporting the base and the region’s unmanned aviation activity, according to an announcement from the Office of U.S. Senator John Hoeven.
The announcement said Hoeven secured $20 million in fiscal year 2025 for resurfacing the runway, with the project fully funded up front. It said he also worked to have the Air Force prioritize construction so it would be completed within a year of the funding being appropriated.
The runway serves both Air Force base missions and unmanned operations at GrandSKY, the announcement said. It said Hoeven secured an agreement in 2016 allowing GrandSKY to jointly use the base runway.
The announcement identified the Sky Range hypersonic missile testing mission as one activity supported by runway access. It also cited drone and counter-drone technology work through Project ULTRA, the Technology Readiness Experimentation event and the Point Defense Battle Lab.
Hoeven’s announcement said the rapid completion was intended to limit disruption to operations at the base and GrandSKY. It said the runway is expected to support ongoing initiatives and future and growing unmanned aircraft system operations at the base and business and technology park.
