Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
First NATO RQ-4B Global Hawk Takes Flight in California
Manufacturer Northrop Grumman expects to deliver the first of five AGS aircraft to Italy's Sigonella Air Base next year.
The first Global Hawk built for NATO's AGS program touches down on December 19 at Edwards Air Force base. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)
The first Global Hawk built for NATO's AGS program touches down on December 19 at Edwards Air Force base. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)

The first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft, an unmanned RQ-4B Global Hawk, completed its maiden flight on December 19 from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. The 16-ton gross takeoff weight aircraft “successfully executed a comprehensive range of test points” before landing at nearby Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.