FARGO, N.D. (KFGO-AM) North Dakota political leaders are celebrating a lease agreement that paves the way for an unmanned aircraft business park, but want the federal government to get moving on rules for commercial drones.
The military is providing 217 acres on the Grand Forks Air Force Base for Grand Sky, which will have aerospace and defense technology giant Northrop Grumman as its anchor tenant. The park could create thousands of jobs.
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple, who spoke at Wednesday's signing ceremony, says the lease agreement is an important step for the state, which is one of six national test sites for drones.
University of North Dakota unmanned aircraft program director Al Palmer calls the recent developments exciting, but says the Federal Aviation Administration guidelines on drones ``can't come soon enough.''