A General Atomics business segment has announced plans to set up a new facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota that will train aircrews of domestic and international military agencies on how to operate remotely piloted aircraft.
“We selected North Dakota as the site for our new training academy because it offered an unequaled opportunity to support both our U.S. Air Force customer and international customers,” Frank Pace, president of aircraft systems at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said Tuesday.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems entered a 10-year lease for the training academy and plans to offer RPA flight training to aircrews by early 2016.
The company also plans to host testing operations for airspace integration at the proposed facility.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems develops and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator A, Gray Eagle and MQ-9 Reaper.