Three MQ-9 operators complete joint operations at North Dakota airport

Three operators of MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft have completed five months of operations at Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota, alongside scheduled airline and general aviation traffic.

The North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations operated within the airport’s Class D airspace between April and September 2026.

According to airport officials, the deployment may be the first instance of three MQ-9 operators sharing airspace at a US commercial airport.

The aircraft were coordinated through Fargo’s air traffic control tower, with airport officials reporting no disruption to scheduled commercial flights throughout the period.

General Atomics conducted training and testing activities, while CBP deployed its aircraft on law enforcement missions.

The 119th Wing, which has operated from Hector International Airport since 1947, has more than a decade of experience coordinating remotely piloted aircraft operations with the airport’s control tower.

Colonel Christopher Domitrovich, Commander of the 119th Wing, said the collaboration demonstrated how military, federal, and civilian organizations could coordinate uncrewed aircraft operations within the national airspace system.

General Atomics and CBP concluded their activities at Fargo on 18 September, returning to operations from Grand Sky UAS Business Park and Grand Forks Air Force Base.

Airport officials said the deployment could provide a model for integrating remotely piloted aircraft into shared civilian airspace.

Further reading: Airbus is developing an uncrewed H145 helicopter for surveillance, firefighting, and disaster response missions, with its first flight planned for November.