Deployment Accelerator 2026
Theme: From Capability Gaps to Deployment Pathways
A curated, deployment-focused forum bringing together military, government, industry, academia, operators, investors, and integrators to accelerate partnerships, pilots, testing, and operational deployment.
Driving execution, not just exposure.
Featured Senior Military Keynote
Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401)
Col Scott Humr, Ph.D.
Division Chief, Science & Technology
Joint Interagency Task Force 401
Who Attends
Defense Prime Contractors
C-UAS, UAS & Autonomous Systems Providers
Government & Military Stakeholders
Systems Integrators
Investors & Investment Bankers
Why Attend
Post-Event Pipeline — From introductions to partnerships and deals in 90 days.
Qualified Access — Vetted C-UAS decision-makers, operators, and capital allocators.
Structured Matchmaking — Pre-scheduled 1:1 introductions and curated roundtables.
Ecosystem Access — Direct access to the Grand Forks C-UAS/UAS ecosystem.
Interested in the Program?
Participation Options
Participation is intentionally limited to support meaningful engagement, curated introductions, and high-value discussions among operators, government, industry, and investors.
* All prices are in USD.
Admission Tickets
Industry
Primes · Technology Companies · Investors
$1,995
Early Bird (through Aug 21)
$2,295
Regular (from Aug 22)
Academia / Research
Universities · Research Labs · Graduate Researchers
$795
Early Bird (through Aug 21)
$995
Regular (from Aug 22)
Gov / Mil / Def
Government · Military · Defense Officials
Complimentary Admission
Exhibitor & Technology Showcase Opportunity
Technology Demonstration Table
$3,495
Limited to 15 organizations. Reserve early.
Includes: 6 ft. rectangular table · Power & Wi-Fi · 2 exhibitor representatives · 2 admission tickets · Structured matchmaking access
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in Sponsoring?
Why This Matters Now
Operational lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East have shown how low-cost drones, FPV systems, one-way attack (OWA) drones, and AI-enabled autonomous systems are reshaping modern conflict. Inexpensive unmanned systems can threaten assets worth millions while exposing vulnerabilities across military operations, critical infrastructure, and national security environments.
The challenge is no longer identifying technology. It is integrating multi-vendor capabilities, aligning solutions with operational requirements, strengthening resilient supply chains, and accelerating the path from concept to deployment.
Operational advantage belongs to those who can adapt, integrate, and deploy the fastest.
What Is Driving the Future of Counter-UAS?
Why Grand Forks?
Grand Forks is rapidly emerging as one of North America's leading UAS, autonomy, and Counter-UAS ecosystems.
The region brings together Grand Forks AFB, the Point Defense Battle Lab, Camp Grafton, GrandSKY, the University of North Dakota (UND), industry, and government stakeholders focused on accelerating testing, adoption, and deployment.
Recent selection as one of only five national Directed Energy Counter-UAS pilot sites under the FY2026 NDAA further reinforces the region's strategic importance.
Post-Event Execution Pipeline
What Happens Next Matters
Accelerator → Introductions → Pilots → Partnerships → Deployment
The real value is not what happens during the Accelerator. It's what happens next.
Week 1
Curated introductions and match reports
Month 1
Pilot, partnership, and collaboration discussions
Month 3
Advancement toward pilots, partnerships, and deployments
Help Shape the Future of Counter-UAS
From Innovation to Operational Capability. Faster.
Counter-UAS & AI