LAYTON — Construction began Friday on a new building at Hill Air Force Base that will house a facility for defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin announced in October that it would move some program management offices to the Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park at the base. It is expected to move those offices there in August 2017.
About 25 employees at the facility will be working on a Ground Based Strategic Deterrent in hopes of earning the opportunity to replace the Air Force's current intercontinental ballistic missile system "with a modern and capable integrated weapon system," the contractor said in a statement.
Lockheed Martin will occupy about 25,000 square feet, though the new building will be about three times as large. The company's area is expected to feature "high-tech laboratory space," it said in a statement.
Company officials also believe their new home for the project will "enhance collaboration with local Air Force officials," according to the statement.
“The new facility at Falcon Hill is representative of Lockheed Martin’s commitment to building our presence in Utah to support Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile contract competitions,” John Karas, Lockheed Martin vice president and the project's program manager, said in a statement.
Gov. Gary Herbert also praised the project.
“The Falcon Hill project is a leading example of unprecedented partnerships making a difference in Utah communities,” Herbert said in a statement Friday. “We welcome Lockheed Martin’s expansion at Falcon Hill and the potential it will bring to attract additional high-paying jobs to our state.”
There are about 31,000 aerospace manufacturing jobs in Utah, according to the Governor's Office of Economic Development.