The Company And The College Have A Memorandum Of Understanding

The University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks and L-3 Link Simulation & Training announced Thursday they have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly create an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Training Center. The center, which will be located on UND's campus and Grand Forks Air Force Base, will be the first non-military educational institution in the U.S. to provide initial qualification and continuation training for operators of the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft. The training center will begin operations in March 2011.

"We've worked to make the Grand Forks area a national center for UAS activities," said U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan. "This partnership is just another example of our goal becoming a reality. Those seeking to be Predator and Reaper UAS operators now have a unique opportunity to be trained in North Dakota, boosting high-tech UAS education initiatives right here in our state."

"L-3 Link Simulation & Training looks forward to building on its partnership with the University of North Dakota to create a premier UAS Training Center," said Bob Birmingham, president of L-3 Link. "By providing a comprehensive curriculum and proven training technologies, which will include high-fidelity simulation of the Predator and Reaper platforms, the training center will be positioned to meet the increasing demand for qualified unmanned aircraft systems pilots and sensor operators."

"The partnership between L-3 Link and the University of North Dakota represents a significant entrance into the world of UAS pilot and sensor operator training," said Al Palmer, interim director of UND's Center for UAS Research, Education and Training. "The world aviation community is going to take notice of this historic collaboration between these successful organizations."

The training center will provide advanced unmanned aircraft systems training opportunities to UND students pursuing a bachelor of science in aeronautics with a major in unmanned aircraft systems operations. In addition, the training center will support other organizations' training requirements to develop highly capable Predator and Reaper operators.

In its partnership role, L-3 Link will provide and maintain a high-fidelity UAS simulator in addition to training center instructor support. The UAS training device is configured to simulate the Predator or Reaper, combining ground control station hardware, simulation software and high-fidelity, correlated databases to create a fully immersive environment. Aircraft platform performance, sensors and weapons systems are precisely modeled to provide training in complex, real-world mission scenarios.

FMI: www.und.edu, www.l-3com.com