The Air Force sent a team to Grand Forks AFB, N.D., last week to begin preparations for the base’s new unmanned aerial vehicle mission. According to Associated Press news service, Air Combat Command sent a 10-member team of civil engineers, communications specialists, and others to begin coordinating the switch from the KC-135 tanker mission to a UAV mission. The Air Force plans to install both Predator and Global Hawk UAVs at the North Dakota base, but USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley also considers Grand Forks a candidate for the new tanker.
The Air Force is planning to award Northrop Grumman a contract that could allow the RQ-4 Global Hawk to keep flying into 2033. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center posted a presolicitation notice Aug. 17 saying it plans to award Northrop a sole-source contract for development, modernization, retrofit, and…