At the Leading Edge

Fort Huachuca is the largest unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) training facility in the world. Its $10 million facility contains 25,000 square feet of space and 10 simulators, while managing 964 square miles of restricted air space above the community. Top entrepreneurs and experienced defense agencies come from around the world to test and evaluate their unmanned aircraft systems at Fort Huachuca. For this reason Sierra Vista is home to some of the nation’s leading civilian contractors that develop UAS technology, like Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

Helping to provide a technically-skilled workforce ready to pursue opportunities within the military, as well as the emerging civilian UAS industry, Cochise College, with the assistance of Northrop Grumman, has developed an unmanned aircraft systems curriculum that enables local students to obtain a UAS technician associate’s degree.