GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - Aerospace and defense technology giant Northrop Grumman has signed a lease with Grand Fork's Grand Sky aerospace tech park.
The company will be the anchor tenant at Grand Sky, a business complex for unmanned aircraft systems that will occupy 217 acres at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The 1.2 million-square-foot facility will include multiple buildings, four of which will be hangars.
Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven says groundbreaking for the initial office building will start in September. Employees will begin to occupy the facility a year later.
Hoeven has said the project could lead to up to 3,000 jobs.
The Federal Aviation Administration has designated Grand Forks as one of six drone test sites in the nation.
Drones are among the technology manufactured by Northrop.