Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday that the first Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft “performed beautifully” during its maiden test flight in November. This airframe, designated AF-18, flew for approximately two hours from the company’s production facility in Palmdale, Calif., to Edwards Air Force Base during the Nov. 16 mission. AF-18 is the first of 15 Global Hawk Block 40 platforms in USAF’s current program of record. Unlike other Global Hawk configurations, Block 40 aircraft will carry the sophisticated MP-RTIP radar sensor that Northrop and Raytheon are developing for enhanced detection and tracking of moving ground targets from high overhead. The MP-RTIP sensor has completed tests on a surrogate aircraft and will be integrated into AF-18 for operational evaluation, according to the company. Global Hawk Block 40 aircraft will be based at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., starting next year.
Recent Russian and Chinese tests of space weapons are a "natural consequence of military behaviors," and the U.S. must now "mitigate this threat," the Space Force's operations chief said. “When you are behind, you look for ways to seek vulnerabilities of your adversary and your competitor so that you can…