Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience

Euro Hawk Endurance Trials

Euro Hawk, the premier unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the German Air Force, successfully proved its long endurance capability with a 30.3-hour flight over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and EADS Deutschland GmbH, operating through Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, the high-flying UAS took off Dec. 1 at 4:47 p.m. PST and landed Dec. 2 at approximately 10:59 p.m. PST.

“Soaring up to 60,000 feet, the Euro Hawk performed beautifully and has logged nearly 100 total flight hours since its maiden flight approximately five months ago,” said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and general manager of the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “This flight not only demonstrated the aircraft’s endurance capability, but it also enabled the team to collect crucial communications data points.”

The Euro Hawk is the first international configuration of the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance UAS. It also demonstrates the remarkable team spirit uniting Northrop Grumman and EADS Deutschland GmbH/Cassidian.

«This milestone is a significant step towards completion of the ferry flight to Germany next year,» said Nicolas Chamussy, senior vice president of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Cassidian. «The aircraft will undergo additional flight testing in Germany before being delivered to the German Air Force by the end of 2011 to replace the fleet of manned Breguet Atlantic aircraft which went out of service this year.»

Based on the Block 20 configuration, the Euro Hawk will be equipped with a signals intelligence mission system developed by Cassidian, providing standoff capability to detect electronic and communications emitters.

«We are very excited to soon have Euro Hawk flying over German skies and providing airborne wide-area surveillance and reconnaissance,» said Neset Tuekenmez, chief executive officer of the EuroHawk GmbH. «This trans-Atlantic cooperation has been a long time coming since the effort began in August 2000 and the contract awarded in 2007.»

Delivery of four subsequent systems is anticipated between 2015 and 2016 following successful testing and introduction in German operational service.

Northrop Grumman/Bell Helicopter Fire-X Flight Trials

The Northrop Grumman/Bell Helicopter Fire-X demonstrator is executing a series of flight trials following its first unmanned flight Dec. 10 in Yuma, Ariz., just days after arriving there for flight testing.

Northrop approached Bell and crafted the jointly funded project in early 2010 with the goal of flying within a year. The aircraft, which also retains the ability to be piloted, was ferried from Bell’s Xworx facility in Arlington, Texas.

The Fire-X demonstrator, built on the commercial Bell 407 platform, was modified at Xworx with unmanned controls from prime contractor Northrop’s MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. «Our philosophy was to be minimally invasive; says Bob Davis, Northrop’s director of business development for air and land advanced concepts.

Following its arrival in Yuma, the linkages were removed-thus «demanning» the aircraft-and electric actuators were connected for unmanned flight. The flight test plan will cover a handful of flights by year-end, including one for internal cargo carriage.