EMERADO — Some future U.S. Air Force missions in Africa will be conducted from Grand Forks Air Force Base after defense contractor General Atomics announced the completion of its Remote Split Operations facility on Friday.
During an event at GrandSky, which was attended by General Atomics leaders, local employees and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, the company showcased technology that will allow drone pilots to fly the unmanned aircraft from further away than was done previously.
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“This really takes the relationship between the military, General Atomics, and GrandSky to another level,” Hoeven said.
The facility features two ground control stations — each about the size of a Conex shipping container — where multimember crews control General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper drones. Missions involving these crews are conducted through U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which encompasses nearly all of the African continent.
Previously, these drones had to be piloted much closer to the mission objectives, often in more remote locations.
“There’s going to be 50 pilots here instead of in dangerous, not very great places in Africa,” Hoeven told the Grand Forks Herald. “It’s a lot safe...