Northrop Grumman is about to complete construction of the next-generation Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. The company said it received the last of two critical airframe components—a graphite-composite wing assembly and the first set of its vertical tails—keeping the program on track for flight test in Fall 2006. The new Global Hawk RQ-4B will have 50 percent more payload capacity than the current model, meaning it can carry more intelligence sensors. The fuselage is stronger, four feet longer, and slightly taller than the A model. The wingspan increased by some 15 feet, giving the B more fuel capacity, as well.
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.