# Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR)

> Grand Forks, US · IATA: RDR · ICAO: KRDR · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `RDR` |
| ICAO | `KRDR` |
| City | Grand Forks |
| Country | US |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 278 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 47.96110, -97.40120 |

## Description

Built as a Cold War bomber and tanker base, Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR/KRDR) in North Dakota has become a centre for unmanned systems and plays no part in commercial air freight. It houses the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, flying the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the E-11A communications aircraft; in 2026 the wing is being split into two units, one running the installation and one carrying the operational mission. The base was also selected to host the Air Force's Point Defense Battle Lab, tasked with countering small drone threats to military installations. A fenced-off portion of the property hosts Grand Sky, a commercial drone-testing park used by civilian operators. There is no cargo handling, no handling agent and no customs office accessible to forwarders; military consignments move through defence channels. Commercial air freight for the region clears at Grand Forks International (GFK) about 25 kilometres to the southwest and at Hector International in Fargo (FAR), where Foreign-Trade Zone 267 allows duty-free storage, with Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) as the nearest large cargo gateway via Interstates 29 and 94.

---

*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/grand-forks-air-force-base-airport-rdr](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/grand-forks-air-force-base-airport-rdr)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/grand-forks-air-force-base-airport-rdr](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/grand-forks-air-force-base-airport-rdr)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/grand-forks-air-force-base-airport-rdr/llm-summary*