A business center called Grand Sky has claimed the spot as the first commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) business and aviation park in the United States. The center is located at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, 16 miles west of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and offers 1.2 million square feet of hangar, office, shop, lab and data center space on a 217-acre piece of land.
The facility was developed by Grand Sky Development Company in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and Grand Forks County. The project also received financial backing from UAS-targeted private equity investors.
Grand Sky hopes to fill the facility with tenants who need a UAS-friendly place to test, evaluate, research, develop and operate drones. In addition to the facilities themselves, available resources include access to a 12,351-foot long runway, airport services, chase planes, pilots, payload engineers, sensor operators and more. The facility is also a part of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, one of six test sites designated by the FAA in 2013, and the University of North Dakota (UND), one of the major aviation universities in the U.S., both of which are headquartered in Grand Forks.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
