The Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial vehicle (designated AF-18) makes its first flight, flying for about two hours from Northrop Grumman’s production facility in Palmdale, Calif., to Edwards AFB, Calif. The Block 40 version will carry the MP-RTIP (multi-platform radar technology insertion program) all-weather radar sensor that Northrop and Raytheon are developing for enhanced detection and tracking of moving ground targets.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.