Northrop Grumman started work on NATO’s first Global Hawk Alliance Ground Surveillance remotely piloted aircraft on its assembly line at Moss Point, Miss., the company announced. The Block 40 Global Hawk is the first of five jointly procured airframes aimed at enhancing NATO’s combat and humanitarian surveillance capabilities. “The variety of sensors and ability to support a wide range of missions will revolutionize how NATO collects ISR,” said Jim Edge, AGS management agency general manager. All five airframes will be equipped with the multi-platform radar technoogy insertion ground moving target tracking radar, and advanced beyond line of sight data transmission links for all-weather, day and night capabilities, according to the company. European defense companies from the 15 participating countries, including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, will develop and supply ground stations and control interface, according to the company. (See also NATO, v.4.0 from the October issue of Air Force Magazine)
As with previous stealth aircraft unveilings, the Air Force’s imagery of the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter has been doctored to keep adversaries guessing about its true shaping and design philosophy.