Above: Senior leadership with shovels at Maple Grove's ground breaking.
Courtesy BAE Systems

Designed with functionality and a future-proofed blueprint, the site will provide the infrastructure required to innovate solutions that support the US military and its allies around the world.

“Breaking ground on the Maple Grove site is a critical milestone for our business as our talented employees will have a state-of-the-art facility to enable them to make a difference for those who put their lives on the line to protect us,” said Andy Corea, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' CMS business. “The new facility is core to our efforts to attract and retain talented employees, while also enabling us to modernise our industrial base, improve internal processes and strengthen performance as we continue to develop and produce high-quality capabilities for our warfighters.”

Today, BAE Systems’ Minnesota operations are home to design, development, and lifecycle support services for a full spectrum of gun systems, weapon launching systems, advanced munitions, weapon handling systems and combat vehicles. BAE Systems will carry its legacy - with local operations dating back to the 1940s - into the new facility that will be built to meet the needs of its current and future workforce.

“We’re incredibly grateful to be establishing roots in the Maple Grove community,” said Brent Butcher, vice president of BAE Systems’ CMS weapon systems product line. “Our Minnesota-based operations have a long history of making a difference for our troops. We’re taking these decades worth of experience and collaborating with our stakeholders each step of the way to make sure the new site will support our team members, customers, supply base and surrounding communities.”

The Opus Group is the developer, design-builder, architect and structural engineer of record on the Maple Grove project.

“Opus is excited to collaborate with BAE Systems to develop and deliver a state-of-the-art facility for the company and its stakeholders. We have a long history of development in the City of Maple Grove and Opus is proud to bring another development to this community,” said Nick Murnane, Opus vice president and general manager of real estate development.

Beyond modern technology and infrastructure, the space will feature energy efficient designs in support of BAE Systems’ sustainability goal to be carbon neutral across all operations by 2030. Industry-leading capabilities the Maple Grove facility will have onsite include:

• A dedicated engineering workshop designed for all specialties including digital engineering.
• A product design center where employees, customers and suppliers can collaborate and knowledge share on development projects.
• A full-service prototyping lab with bays for the development of future products and services.

BAE Systems will move its current operations in Fridley, Minnesota to Maple Grove once development is complete in 2025.