GRAND FORKS (AP) - The University of North Dakota says it has a $17 million contract to train 75 Saudis to fly helicopters over the next several years.

UND Aerospace Foundation Executive Director Chuck Pineo says the first of the students are in Grand Forks and are learning English to prepare for training.

The foundation is the business arm of the UND School of Aerospace Sciences. It has a contract with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry.

Pineo says the pilots will join the ministry's search and rescue operations.

He said the contract will help the school expand its helicopter fleet. It now has six Schweizer 300 very light helicopters and two Bell 206 helicopters, and hopes to have 10 Schweizers and three Bells.

UND began working with businesses in Saudi Arabia through the aerospace school's founder, the late John Odegard. Earlier, UND trained helicopter pilots for Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company.

Pineo said one of those Aramco pilots became a consultant for the Interior Ministry and recommended UND for a pilot training contract. About a month ago, the two sides signed a contract that included tuition, flight fees, English training and housing, he said.