HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Hill Air Force Base is preparing to open its new $35 million software support facility.
The new facility will be home to the 309th Software Maintenance Group, whose mission of software support is one of the base’s top strategic priorities.
“This building offers state-of-the-art engineering labs and an agile work environment for our scientist and engineer workforce,” said Tracy Stauder, 309th SMXG deputy director. “It will be a great asset to the Air Force.”
Due to the increasing software-intensive nature of weapons systems, a new software facility was necessary to accomplish the sustainment workload for the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the command and control networks that integrate the entire battlefield command structure, and other long-term Department of Defense programs.
“We’re trying to build a software campus, and that is a big part of that growth and will help us attract STEM professionals who we feel will be attracted to the work being done in that facility,” Stauder said.
The building has 15,300 square feet of laboratory space, which will help accommodate the growth of the SMXG. The unit has hired almost 400 personnel over the past three years, and is expected to grow from around 1,600 personnel currently to more than 3,000 personnel over the next decade.
Stauder said how software is developed is dynamic and always changing, so having a state-of-the-art facility designed with open space is a “big leap forward” and will help the Air Force be more competitive in attracting top software developers and engineers from Utah and around the country.
Construction of the facility was made possible by the state of Utah under the enhanced use lease program. The Utah state legislature appropriated $21.5 million to the Military Installation Development Authority, a political entity established in 2007 to facilitate the development of underutilized military land, to help fund the building.
Hill leaders expressed gratitude to all those who worked to make the project a reality. The potential benefit to the State of Utah in new salaries, income tax, and sales tax can reach an estimated $20 million in roughly three years, as well as ensure the longevity of Utah’s largest single-site employer.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 8, with a move-in date anticipated for mid-April.