Grand Forks AFB, N.D., is slated to receive its first of 22 Block 40 Global Hawk high-altitude, long endurance remotely piloted aircraft by next summer, a Northrop Grumman official said during the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference. George Guerra, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of high altitude long endurance, said the block 40 aircraft will have the high performance Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program sensor, allowing the aircraft to see through virtually any type of weather, day or night, providing “game-changing situational awareness” for troops on the ground. The company plans to finalize sensor integration and conduct the first flight of the full Block 40 system later this year. Current plans call for all block 40 Global Hawks to be based at Grand Forks.
Skyborg Makes First Flight Aboard Kratos Mako
May 5, 2021
The Skyborg software and hardware suite allowing unmanned aircraft to team with crewed ones flew for the first time April 29, the Air Force said, launching a series of experiments meant to prove the safety and effectiveness of the approach.