The RQ-4 Global Hawk, an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drone, will conduct operations in international and Allied airspace, adhering to international norms and standards. The deployment underscores USAFE’s ongoing efforts to diversify operating locations and strengthen integration with NATO allies.
This mission comes as part of broader initiatives to enhance the survivability of assets by dispersing them across alternate airfields, in line with ACE principles. While details on how ACE will be practised during this deployment remain sparse, the operation represents a significant shift in the way the U.S. Air Force positions its ISR capabilities.
The Global Hawk, which flew to Fairford from Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily, took a circuitous route over Finland, Norway, and Sweden. This deployment follows the U.K. Civilian Aviation Authority’s earlier establishment of approved flight corridors for autonomous aircraft, similar to regulations by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Operating primarily during nighttime hours to minimise disruption to civilian air traffic, the RQ-4 will ascend to or descend from its operational altitude of 50,000 feet. The aircraft, which is equipped with advanced radar technology for ground surveillance and cruise missile tracking, is part of the U.S. Air Force’s dwindling fleet of nine RQ-4s, scheduled to remain in service until 2027.