The Air Force designated Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft as the platform with the best safety record in 2013, announced company officials this week. Paul Brophy, Northrop Grumman’s forward operating location site manager at Andersen AB, Guam, received the Commander’s Flight Safety Award from Brig. Gen. Steven Garland, commander of the 36th Wing at Andersen, on Nov. 18, 2013. “Winning this award reflects the commitment of our partnership with the Air Force to always put safety and performance first when flying Global Hawk,” said Brophy. “Continually improving our safety programs is clearly a ‘win-win’ proposition for the company and the Air Force.” Det. 1 of the 69th Reconnaissance Group from Grand Forks, N.D., also contributed to the designation by maintaining “exceptional vigilance” and garnering a “perfect safety record” during Global Hawk operations, states the Jan. 13 release.
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week released the full text of its version of the 2026 defense policy bill—often referred to as the National Defense Authorization Act—that would allow the Air Force and Space Force to spend billions of dollars more than the services had sought for next year.