Dalrymple Celebrates Grand Sky Lease Agreement

Gov. Jack Dalrymple was joined today by other supporters of the Grand Sky UAS Business and Aviation Park to celebrate the completion of an enhanced use lease agreement that will allow for the business park's development to move forward.

The lease agreement between the U.S. Air Force and Grand Forks County paves the way for the development of the Grand Sky UAS Business and Aviation Park on the grounds of the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Other Grand Sky supporters who joined Dalrymple at the military base today included Sen. John Hoeven, Congressman Kevin Cramer, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Kathleen Ferguson, other U.S. Air Force officers as well as state and local leaders.

"This lease agreement is another important step in our ongoing work to grow North Dakota's UAS industry and to become a national hub for UAS education, training, research and commercialization," Dalrymple said. "With Grand Sky development underway and North Dakota's designation as one of only six national UAS test sites, we are well positioned to attract UAS-related investment and jobs."

Under terms of the lease agreement, the U.S. Air Force will provide Grand Forks County with about 220 acres of property on the Grand Forks Air Force Base to attract UAS business tenants and develop the Grand Sky UAS Business and Aviation Park.
Gov. Dalrymple led the state's efforts to establish a national UAS test site in North Dakota and to establish North Dakota as a national hub for UAS research and development.

The state has invested more than $20 million to support the development of the Grand Sky UAS park, to establish a national UAS test site and to advance UAS research and development.

In May 2013, Dalrymple formed the six-member Northern Plains Unmanned Aerial Systems Authority (NPUASA) which was successful in landing one of only six national UAS test site designations approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The NPUASA is chaired by Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley. North Dakota's Northern Plains UAS Test Site became the nation's first FAA certified as ready to begin the work of integrating unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace.

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