Cape May County, in the southern part of New Jersey, U.S., was recently awarded a federal grant amounting to $3 million for building a drone facility. Sources from the U.S. Department of Commerce claimed that the 20,000-square-foot building will be a multi-tenant facility, located at the Cape May Country Airport and companies from the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry will be the occupants.

For the uninitiated, drones, also termed as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs by the industry, have witnessed tremendous development in the U.S., having a range of industrial, military and environmental applications.

The Department of Commerce officials further suggested that the drone facility project would create around 130 new jobs and bring in an estimated $1.9 million in private investments. Companies utilizing the building will be provided 5,000 square-foot of space each, where they can establish their offices.

Wilbur Ross, the Secretary of Commerce, said that President Donald Trump and his entire administration has been working hard towards empowering innovators that will help boost nationwide job creation in communities. He also called the project as a tool for one of the most advanced technologies in the country to grow and flourish.

The drone facility was hailed as a demonstration of the potential for public-private partnerships by Bob Menendez, a U.S. Senator. He stated that building the new drone hub at Cape May County Airport will not only result in immediate creation of good-paying jobs, but the final training facility will also assist businesses and entrepreneurs to gain advantage in the rapidly growing field of UAVs.

According to records, South Jersey Economic Development District had led the project planning, as it intends to encourage collaborations between the public and private sectors, creating jobs and improving the economy. The Department of Commerce did not disclose the dates as to when the project is scheduled to be completed.