Northrop Grumman has delivered the sixth RQ-4A Global Hawk production model to the Air Force. The seventh Global Hawk is scheduled for delivery this summer, and development team members say they are working on completing the final assembly and prepping for the first flight of the next-generation enhanced version of the high-flying unmanned aerial vehicle. The new model will be able to carry 1,000 more pounds of payload. So far Global Hawks have flown more than 5,500 combat hours in more than 250 missions for the global war on terror.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are fair game for U.S. Special Operations Command’s armed overwatch platform competition, Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. James C. “Jim” Slife told reporters on Feb. 26. However, the MQ-9 Reaper drone might not be up to the challenge in its current form, he suggested during…