Northro
p 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.
The U.S. military conducted a new series of airstrikes on Iran June 26, a day after Tehran struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The twin attacks presented a fresh test for a tenuous ceasefire between the two countries.