Northrop Grumman and Phoenix-based general contractor Willmeng Construction Inc. hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the aerospace and defense company鈥檚 new Chandler campus last week.

The 633,000-square-foot office and manufacturing facility will provide a home for Northrop Grumman鈥檚 launch vehicle business, supporting defense and aerospace development.

鈥淲e have a rich heritage here in Arizona that spans more than three decades, and our business here continues to grow rapidly,鈥� said Blake Larson, president of Innovation Systems at Northrop Grumman, at the ribbon-cutting. 鈥淭his beautiful new facility will provide an improved work environment for our employees, provide a clean slate to work from to improve our efficiencies and give us more room for growth. I extend my gratitude to this incredible team who came together for mission success.鈥�

Northrop Grumman has 2,500 employees at its Chandler campus and more than 3,500 employees across that state, with more than $30 million in payroll and benefits, according to the Office of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

鈥淣orthrop Grumman has helped make Arizona a national leader in defense and aerospace manufacturing 鈥� and this expansion will only further add to that reputation,鈥� Ducey said at the ribbon-cutting event. 鈥淢y thanks goes out to Northrop Grumman for continuing to invest in Arizona, and to everyone who worked to make this announcement possible.鈥�

Northrop Grumman will build equipment at the new campus to support the United States missile defense program, including interceptors and targets. It will also help with satellite launches for the U.S. Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and commercial customers.

The campus is located in the 180-acre Park Place Business Plaza developed by the Douglas Allred Company and brought to life by Willmeng Construction, Balmer Architectural Group and more than 300 subcontractors. The facility was built and delivered in only 17 months.

鈥淭he facility is a reflection of the vision that the team at the Douglas Allred Company has to strategically create appealing and unique campus environments,鈥� said James Murphy, president and CEO of Willmeng Construction. 鈥淲e were proud to take on the challenge of building this facility at a speed that is truly unparalleled in the market, achieving the unachievable to ensure there was no disruption to the important work accomplished at Northrop Grumman. We were truly working to support a launch schedule.鈥�

Park Place is estimated to generate an annual economic impact of $1.4 billion once completed, according to Elliott D. Pollack & Company. It will also create more than 2,000 construction jobs during the initial build and another 9,691 during the subsequent build-out.

“Northrop Grumman鈥檚 investment in our 鈥楥ommunity of Innovation鈥� will continue the city鈥檚 trajectory of economic competitiveness for years to come,鈥� Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said. 鈥淚 commend Douglas Allred Company鈥檚 vision to develop the Park Place Campus, and Willmeng Construction for their professionalism and efforts to get a project of this magnitude completed on time.鈥�

The Price Road Corridor of businesses, which runs along the Loop 101 Price Freeway through Chandler, Tempe and Mesa, is one of the fastest-growing labor bases in Metro Phoenix.

The new Northrop Grumman campus is located at 1575 S. Price Road.

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Arizona congressional members are asking the U.S. Army to consider expanding military training in the state to meet a growing demand for pilot and technical training for foreign militaries that purchase Apache helicopter systems.

Currently, an aviation training site in Arizona is only at 35 percent capacity and would be an ideal location for the training to support U.S. sales of military aircraft, said eight members of the Arizona congressional delegation in a June 10 letter to Army Secretary Mark Esper.

The site, the Western Army Aviation Site (WAATS) north of Tucson, is well equipped as one of the Army鈥檚 premier aviation training locations for attack and scout helicopters, and home to a state-of-the-art flight simulator complex, the letter said.

It’s also perfectly situated in open desert with unencumbered, year-round access to hundreds of square miles of airspace dedicated to aviation training.

鈥淲e wanted to make you aware of an opportunity to enhance the Army鈥檚 aviation modernization and readiness initiatives while supporting the National Defense Strategy鈥檚 mandate to strengthen alliances and attract future partners,鈥� the officials write.

Building partnerships with foreign militaries听

Countries that purchase military equipment like Apaches from the U.S. receive pilot and technical training at military training sites like WAATS that is managed by the Arizona Army National Guard.

Although it is primarily a training facility for the Army National Guard, trains personnel allied countries in Europe and Asia as well as the U.S. Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard.

An important component of the training program is the ability to build one-on-one relationships at all levels with partner nations, Arizona Army National Guard officials said.

Currently, the has a 20-year joint partnership with the Republic of Singapore to provide training at WAATS at the Silverbell Army Heliport at Pinal Airpark.

WAATS training builds Arizona economy

Expanding training in Arizona also would benefit the state, Army Guard officials said.

Currently, the Silverbell Army Heliport generates $148 million annually for the state of Arizona and provides more than 800 jobs.

Using WAATS also would alleviate future capacity issues at the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Rucker, Alabama, the lawmakers鈥� letter said. The center had 63 available training seats in fiscal year 2018. That is expected to more than double in the coming years.

鈥淲AATS has the equipment, personnel, base operations support, and subject matter expertise necessary to support the Apache foreign military sales training program,鈥� wrote the legislators.

The eight lawmakers who signed the letter are: U.S. senators Krysten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R), and U.S. representatives Andy Biggs (R), Ruben Gallego (D), Debbie Lesko (R), Tom O鈥橦alleran (D), David Schweikert (R), and Greg Stanton (D).

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