The Air Force last week completed flight tests on the latest version of the Global Hawk UAV. Test personnel at Edwards AFB, Calif., put the Block 10 production UAV through a battery of exercises, covering flying operations and electro-optical, infrared, and synthetic radar sensor function and sensor image quality. Currently, the Global Hawks that have been providing ISR imagery over Iraq and Afghanistan are one-of-a-kind technology demonstrators. Once Air Combat Command gives the OK on the production version, blue-suit maintainers will take over from civilian contractors.
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…