Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead have signed a memorandum of agreement to cooperate closely on their services’ respective high-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft fleets. Under the terms, the Air Force and Navy will maximize commonality, eliminate redundant effort, and increase interoperability between the former’s RQ-4 Global Hawk and the latter’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance systems. Both are based on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk air vehicle. This cooperation includes an integrated approach to training, maintenance, and operations. “This MOA is a tremendous step forward between our two services,” said Lt. Gen. David Deptula, top intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance official on the Air Staff. We reported back in May that this agreement was coming, but the Air Force just announced its June 12 signing on Thursday. USAF operates Global Hawks today; BAMS is scheduled for initial operations in 2015. (SAF/PA release by TSgt. Amaani Lyle)
Disasters strike without warning, leaving destruction in their wake. Many assume disaster insurance is only necessary for those living in high-risk areas, but the truth is, 97% of the U.S. population lives in a county covered by a federal disaster declaration...