Stronger, Safer UAV

April 11, 2007

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Northrop Grumman has completed fuselage and empennage strength tests on its next generation Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, exceeding Air Force strength and safety requirements. Each of three successive tests of the Block 20 RQ-4 Global Hawk surpassed USAF requirements by about 20 percent, according to a company statement. Northrop also announced Tuesday that it had completed the first flight for the Block 20 last month. The AF-8 vehicle flew from the Northrop facility at Palmdale, Calif., to Edwards AFB, Calif.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Former CYBERCOM Commanders Urge Caution on Push for New Military Cyber Service

In Defense Bill, Congress Rejects Bid to Retire A-10s, F-15Es

Air Force to Take Back on Looking Glass Mission for Nuclear C3

Pentagon Orders Thousands of Laser-Guided Rockets for $322 Million

Related

USSF to Keep Implementing Space-Focused Elements of Re-Optimization

Dec. 11, 2025
Weeks after senior Air Force leaders revealed the service would shed a number of the re-optimization initiatives pursued by their predecessors, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman confirmed the Space Force is retaining all of the space-specific elements of the strategy.

Lawmakers Push Funding Boost for Space Force Data Transport and Polar Missile Warning

Dec. 10, 2025
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning and tracking capabilities.

Australian MQ-28 CCA Downs Drone in Milestone Air-to-Air Test

Dec. 9, 2025
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.