Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) broke ground on a new building at its Roy Innovation Center (RIC) in Roy, Utah, expanding the campus that supports the U.S. Air Force Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program and other aerospace and defense missions.

The new structure, called the Legacy Building, will bring the RIC campus to six buildings totaling more than 1.1 million square feet of office space. Construction begins this summer and is expected to be completed by 2028. The expanded campus will have capacity for more than 5,000 employees.

According to the company, the expansion is intended to support an accelerated timeline to deliver Sentinel initial capability to the U.S. Air Force by the early 2030s. The company said the investment will create hundreds of new jobs.

Northrop Grumman said it directly employs over 11,000 workers in Utah and, citing a recent study, claims to support more than 46,000 jobs across the state, generating over $12.4 billion for the state economy.

The company said it has invested $13.5 billion in infrastructure and research and development over the past five years, including $2 billion directed toward solid rocket motor capacity and capabilities.

"Utah's world-class talent pool, strategic location to Hill Air Force Base and supportive community make it the ideal home for this expansion of Sentinel and other critical missions we support from this site," said Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox attended the groundbreaking and commented on the company's role in the state's economy and national defense posture.