The Air Force’s Global Hawk high-altitude reconnaissance UAV has become the first unmanned system to receive an airworthiness certification stamp of approval. The Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, recognized the momentous event with a ceremony on Jan. 25. This means that the FAA has faith in the UAV’s reliability in flight, now that it has passed more than 500 technical criteria, according to ASC officials. Next, they want to take the Navy version of the Global Hawk through the same process.
As it develops new weapons to attack satellites, the U.S. Space Force is focused more on ground-based efforts where the technology is more mature, the service’s top general said April 3.