An Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk transited British airspace for the first time as part of a NATO exercise aimed at developing operational concepts ahead of the arrival of the alliance’s own RQ-4s. “It is good to see existing airspace procedures enabling the seamless integration of remotely piloted air systems … within European airspace,” said Phil Osborn, alliance RPA capability director and Royal Air Force Air Vice Marshal, in a May 29 release. “From an air traffic control perspective … there is no discernible difference in our operation with the pilot being remotely located,” added Osborn. The Global Hawk flew a segmented route at approximately 50,000 feet altitude from a base in the Mediterranean Sea to exercise airspace in Norway as part of the alliance’s Unified Vision 2014 exercise this week, states the release. Several alliance members are purchasing a fleet of five pooled RQ-4s under the Alliance Ground Surveillance program.
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
