First Global Hawk Block 30 delivered

The USAF’s 9^th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing has taken delivery of its first Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Block 30 UAV at Beale AFB near Sacramento in California following the type’s national airspace airworthiness certification being granted by the FAA in early November.

The aircraft, a signals intelligence (SIGINT) version of the Block 20 Global Hawk, has a greater wing span and can carry a 500kg greater payload than the original development RQ-4A Block 10 version which is currently in service at Beale and at forward deployed locations in the Middle East.