Northrop Grumman has cut the ribbon on a new facility dedicated to developing autonomous systems. Opened April 21, the Northrop Grumman facility will be part of the Grand Sky Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Business and Aviation Park located near Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The site places it within accessible distance of the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses a squadron of RQ-4 Global Hawk drones. When it is completed, Northrop Grumman’s facility will include a hangar, as well as facilities for research and development, operations and mission analysis, and pilot, operator, and maintainer training. While the hangar has not yet been built, the 36,000 square foot central building is completely finished, with employees in place as of the end of construction in late 2016.
This is the second largest Northrop Grumman facility in North Dakota, joining a manufacturing site in New Town which has been in place for more than 45 years.
“This facility is the latest example of Northrop Grumman’s commitment to the Red River Valley,” said Corporate Vice President and Aerospace Systems President Janis Pamiljans. “We’ve long been a supporter of UAS and other activities in this region including our relationships with area colleges and universities and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site.”
The Grand Sky Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Business and Aviation Park will host various tenants in the UAS industry, and is the first commercial business park in the United States dedicated to this industry.
More news from Northrop Grumman may come out of the AUVSI Xponential autonomous show, held in Dallas beginning May 8. Product Design & Development will be on site to report from the show.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense