44803 Waivers for Defense | Northern Plains UAS Test Site

Faster Access to Flight Through 44803 Approval

For the Department of War, defense contractors and government, speed matters. When a new platform, payload or mission concept is ready for flight, waiting months to secure range access or standalone approvals can stall momentum, delay data collection, and slow program maturation.

The Northern Plains UAS Test Site helps remove that bottleneck through Section 44803 approvals, a faster, more flexible pathway that gets aircraft into the air and moves concepts toward operational reality. Under this authority, NPUASTS can help partners fly larger UAS, operate at higher altitudes, and conduct more representative testing without the long lead times often associated with traditional approval routes or military range scheduling.

NPUASTS 44803 Flights

Up to

1,320

Lb. Aircraft Agnostic

Up to

17,999

Feet MSL

What 44803 Means for Defense

Section 44803 authority is available only through FAA-designated UAS Test Sites, giving defense-focused operators access to approvals they cannot obtain on their own. That matters because military and dual-use systems often need to prove more than a basic flight profile. They need room to scale, iterate, and test in conditions that more closely reflect real missions.

Our partners can access aircraft-agnostic approvals for aircraft up to 1,320 pounds, with operations tailored by location and mission need. In North Dakota, those approvals can also be paired with Vantis to support large-scale BVLOS testing and advanced operational profiles.

A large unmanned vehicle flying near a building with a radar dome in the foreground

Bigger Airspace, Less Red Tape

Traditional one-off approvals are often tied to a single operator, a single aircraft and a narrowly defined operating area. Our 44803 waivers are built around the operational environment instead, creating larger corridors and more useful airspace for testing and more flexibility to evaluate aircraft performance and payload integration.

Not every defense customer needs to come to North Dakota, even though North Dakota offers major advantages for BVLOS operations. We can establish 44803 approvals in all 50 states, as mission requirements demand. A company with manufacturing, integration, or mission support operations in another state may be able to test closer to home.

Two men walking away from large unmanned vehicles in the distance

Repeatable UAS Operations

For DoW or defense programs, early flight testing is rarely the end goal. The real objective is to move from concept demonstration to repeatable, scalable operations that support acquisition, integration and deployment decisions.

We use 44803 approvals to help make that transition faster. Defense programs choose NPUASTS because the team understands both the urgency and the complexity of advanced flight operations. The value is straightforward: faster, more streamlined approvals, larger operating environments, and a more practical path to flight.

Partner With Us

Leverage our 44803 waivers to advance your defense operations.