An Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk flew into RAF Fairford on Aug. 22 for a deployment of an undisclosed duration, U.S. Air Forces in Europe announced. The deployment—the first for a Global Hawk to the United Kingdom—will practice aspects of the Agile Combat Employment model, the command said.
The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone “will conduct operations through international and Allied airspace in accordance with international norms and standards,” USAFE said in a release. The Air Force also operates a detachment of U-2 Dragon Lady crewed ISR aircraft from Fairford.
In the U.S., the FAA requires that autonomous aircraft must fly within approved corridors. An Air Force official said the U.K.’s counterpart entity, the Civilian Aviation Authority, established such a corridor for an uncrewed aircraft like the Global Hawk earlier this year. Global Hawk flights from Fairford will likely be timed for nighttime hours to minimize the impact on civilian air traffic in the vicinity, as the aircraft climbs to or descends from its 50,000-foot operating altitude, the official said.
The RQ-4 deployed from Sigonella Naval Air Station on the Italian island of Sicily and followed a circuitous route to Fairford, which took it over Finland, Norway, and Sweden. NATO operates five RQ-4D “Phoenix” aircraft from Sigonella.
The NATO aircraft are equipped with the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) and synthetic aperture radar ground surveillance radars. The Air Force’s RQ-4 Block 40, the last variant still in service, also employs the MP-RTIP for ground surveillance. It can also track cruise missiles. The Air Force RQ-4 fleet of nine aircraft—out of an original inventory of 45—is funded to remain in service through fiscal 2027, when the type is slated to retire.
The deployment is also part of USAFE’s efforts “to diversify operating locations and enhance integration with NATO allies,” the command said in a press release.
Agile Combat Employment will come into play as the aircraft is “dispersed from typical operating locations to alternate airfields to enhance survivability,” USAFE said, though it could not immediately be reached to explain how ACE will be practiced with the Global Hawk or how much of a support contingent is needed for the aircraft.
The 501st Combat Support Wing at Fairford has supported other recent deployments, such as a B-52 Bomber Task Force which operated from the base earlier this year.