CONGRESS APPROVES $54.5 MILLION IN NORTH DAKOTA DEFENSE PROJECTS

Friday, July 23, 2004

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Congressman Earl Pomeroy announced Friday that the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have approved the nation’s annual defense spending bill, which provides funding for military operations worldwide including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2005 includes $54.5 million in funding for major high-tech defense projects in North Dakota. In addition, the bill allocates $87.9 million to preserve the B-52 bomber fleet, including the 18 attrition reserve aircraft at Minot Air Force Base, rejecting the Administration’s proposal to scrap the bombers. The bill goes next to the President, who is expected to sign it quickly into law.

The package will significantly enhance research in micro-electronics, bio-defense, hydrogen fuel cells and other technologies in North Dakota, and aid the effort to attract more businesses and new high-tech jobs to the state. “This funding is a major investment in North Dakota’s Red River Valley Research Corridor, bringing high-tech federal projects to North Dakota’s colleges, universities and businesses,” said Dorgan, a member of the House-Senate Conference Committee that wrote the final version of the bill. “These projects strengthen our nation, help create new jobs for North Dakota and bolster our reputation as a world-class research center.”

“At a time when our soldiers are still in harm’s way in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world, this legislation provides the funding for the resources they need,” Senator Conrad said. “And with more than $50 million in defense projects for North Dakota, this bill proves the confidence the nation has in our state. From our military bases to our university research labs, North Dakota plays an integral part in our nation’s strategic defense system.”

“This legislation is a win-win: It provides resources that will help support our troops and will also support research projects in North Dakota,” Pomeroy said. “This kind of investment by our federal government speaks volumes about the quality research that goes on at our universities.”

The bill provides funding for continued operations of the Minot and Grand Forks Air Bases and the National Guard. It also includes the following North Dakota defense-related projects and initiatives:

In the Fargo area

• Rapid Vaccine Testing Technology

$2.45 million

The funding will enable Aldevron LLC to work with a leading national pharmaceutical company to apply its ParallelaVax rapid vaccine testing technology to the nation’s biological defense program. Aldevron’s technology promises the ability to generate and test potential vaccines far more quickly than by using conventional means. • Advanced Power Trains and Intelligent Control Systems for the M-Gator

$1.5 million

The funding is for Phoenix International and NDSU to work with John Deere Corp. to develop advanced power trains and intelligent control systems for the M-Gator, an all-terrain vehicle used extensively by the U.S. military in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Scanjack Mine Clearing System

$1 million

The funds will allow the Army to acquire a Scanjack Mine Clearing System for test and evaluation. Mid-America Aviation of West Fargo will assemble any future Scanjack systems that are acquired by the Army. Real-life operational experience in the former Yugoslavia has demonstrated Scanjack to be one of the fastest and most effective mine clearance machines in the world.

At North Dakota State University (NDSU)

• Ultra-low Power Battlefield Sensor System

$21 million

NDSU and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are teaming with six high-technology companies (including Alien Technology, which is opening a plant in Fargo) to develop a system to employ thousands of low-cost microsensors, communicating with data-consolidating hubs and a base station, in order to provide war fighters with crucial information.

• Chameleon Miniaturized Wireless Systems

$7.7 million

NDSU is working with industry and government agencies to develop a prototype portable covert surveillance system to collect and transmit intelligence information from covertly placed sensors while completely hiding the transmission from hostile interception. This funding will allow the team to complete hardware and software development efforts, enabling a system demonstration in 2006.

One of NDSU’s major partners in the effort is Tessera Technologies, which the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review ranks as one of the most innovative high-tech companies in the world. Tessera’s technology enables chip makers to use a smaller package for their chips, which allows for smaller cell phones, video game consoles and other devices. NDSU will use that same technology to design and fabricate miniature electronics for national security needs.

• Advanced Anti-Fouling and Anti-Corrosion Coatings for U.S. Navy

$5.6 million

This funding will be used to continue the effort by NDSU=s Polymers and Coatings Department to develop environmentally compliant coatings to protect ships against fouling and corrosion. This will include demonstrating how a revolutionary new commercial technology can be used to test potential new coatings 10 to 100 times faster than is possible anywhere else. NDSU’s partner in this effort is Symyx Corporation, the leader in using high-speed technologies to find new materials. Investor’s Business Daily, recently said Symyx “lures the titans of industry” with the same technology it is installing at NDSU.

• Corrosion Protection of Aluminum Alloys

$2.8 million

This funding will be used by NDSU to research ways to inhibit corrosion of aluminum alloys in aging aircraft. The funding includes a collaborative project between NDSU and the U.S. Air Force.

• Small Trailer Corrosion Prevention Program

$750,000

This project will find a way to extend the service life of the small trailers now used by the armed forces by identifying the best new commercial off-the-shelf corrosion-protection coatings for them. The research will be a joint effort of the Polymers and Coatings Department at the NDSU and Turtle Mountain Manufacturing, a Native American-owned manufacturer of trailers. In Grand Forks and the University of North Dakota (UND)

• Engineered Surfaces for Weapons Systems’ Life Extension

$2.8 million

This new project will team UND with Alion Science and Technology Inc., a leading defense research and development company, in an effort to increase the life and improve the reliability of the engines, transmissions and drive systems of Army helicopters and vehicles by using advanced engineering technologies in the fabrication of new and replacement parts.

• Air Battle Captain Program

$2 million

The bill includes $2 million in funding for the Air Battle Captain program at the School of Aerospace Sciences at UND. This ongoing program provides introductory flight training for the Army. The funds will allow UND to train a full-time complement of 31 Army ROTC cadets during the academic year and 32 West Point cadets during the summer.

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research at EERC

$1 million

The bill funds a new project at the Energy and Environment Research Center (EERC) at UND to develop a mobile system for the Army to generate high-pressure hydrogen on demand and dispense it in the field. The Army plans to expand its use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and power generators, particularly in enclosed spaces such as hangars and warehouses where fuel exhaust is a problem.

On the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation

• Sioux Manufacturing armor protection for military vehicles

$3.5 million

The funding will be used by Sioux Manufacturing of Fort Totten, North Dakota, to research and develop new stronger and lighter composite armor protection for military vehicles.

With Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM)

• Chafing Detection in U.S. Navy Aircraft

$1.4 million

The funding is for the ongoing development by KMM of a system for the Navy to detect chafing in aircraft wires and hoses before accidents occur, resulting in cost-savings and greater safety for Navy personnel.

• RFID e-Business Implementation

$1 million

This funding would enable a contract for KMM to work with aircraft manufacturer Boeing Inc. on implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and other electronic commerce practices in Boeing’s supply chain. KMM and Boeing will develop a “toolkit” for small and medium companies to become more competitive by adopting advanced electronic data transfer technology, specifically RFID.

—END—