First flights for Global Hawk over the UK

29 May 2014 03:55 PM

The United States Air Force remotely-piloted aircraft has flown in UK airspace for the first time. 

The aircraft flew from an air base in the Mediterranean and across several European countries, including the UK, as part of a NATO trial known as Unified Vision 2014.

The flights aim to assist the development of the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system, which is expected to become operational with 5 Global Hawks. Being able to route remotely-piloted aircraft, such as Global Hawk, through European airspace is fundamental to the NATO AGSsystem.

The trial comes ahead of the NATO Summit in September, where world leaders will gather in Wales to discuss issues of huge importance: terrorism, piracy, unstable states, cyber attacks and the challenge of building stability in an unpredictable world. It will focus on ensuring all NATO nations have the equipment, skills and intelligence needed to protect themselves.

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