A Mississippi Hawk Takes Shape: Northrop Grumman says that the company’s new unmanned systems center in Moss Point, Miss., has begun assembling the center’s first Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle right on schedule, despite last year’s disastrous hurricane season. The plant is working on the 17th Global Hawk produced since program inception in 1995. Company officials report that, as of mid-July, the high-flying UAV has flown more than 6,000 combat hours for the war on terrorism.
The first flight of the secretive B-21 bomber has slipped to mid-2022, but the program is moving along well, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director Randall Walden said in an exclusive interview. The second copy of the B-21, which will be used for structural testing, is now on the production…