Cramer Statement on General Atomics Flight Training Academy Groundbreaking

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer today released the following statement after General Atomics Aeronautical Systems officially broke ground on its Flight Training Academy at Grand Sky in Grand Forks.

"General Atomics' groundbreaking is testament to the hard work and dedication of many Grand Forks area civic, business and community leaders. I want to personally thank Linden P. Blue, the CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., for his company's decision to build this academy here in North Dakota. The facilities developed in Grand Forks and the close cooperation between the Air Force and local public and private organizations are second to none for UAS development. General Atomics Flight Training Academy will ensure Grand Forks and Grand Sky are leaders in the dynamic field of unmanned aerial systems or UAS development well into the future."

On Sept. 2, Blue joined Congressman Cramer and area officials for a familiarization tour of Grand Sky and the Grand Forks area. On July 6, Cramer and Senator Hoeven joined Frank Pace, President of General Atomics Aircraft Systems Group, and Bart Roper, General Atomics Vice President of Strategic Development, Aircraft Systems Group, as well as local officials and representatives of Grand Sky, UND Aerospace, the Base Realignment Impact Committee, the Center for Innovation and the Northern Plains Test Site to discuss UAS development and the General Atomics decision to locate a facility at Grand Sky.

General Atomics is a leading manufacturer of UAS, tactical reconnaissance radars, and surveillance systems. The company produces the MQ-1 Predator which has been named by Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine as one of the top ten aircraft to change the world and also produces the newer MQ-9 Reaper. The North Dakota Air National Guard currently flies the Predator, and Cramer is working with his colleagues in Congress to replace it with the more capable Reaper. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials currently fly unarmed Reapers out of Grand Forks for border protection duty. The company has more than 6,000 employees at multiple facilities in the San Diego area and in the Mojave Desert, just east of Los Angeles.

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