Global Hawk returns from Germany Published Nov. 10, 2003 By Sue Baker Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- The Air Force’s Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has returned home from a successful three-week deployment to Germany, according to program officials.Landing at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Nov. 7, after a 21.6 hour transatlantic flight, the vehicle completed the program’s first deployment to Europe. “The Global Hawk deployment to Nordholz, Germany, near Cuxhaven, has been a tremendous success,” said Col. Scott Coale, of the Global Hawk system program office here. The program office manages the system’s development and acquisition.“The deployment met or exceeded all U.S. and German objectives, and paved the way for future Global Hawk activity in Europe by demonstrating safe transition through European airspace and routine operations from a German base,” Coale said. “It also will help U.S. Air Force and German Ministry of Defence officials determine Global Hawk’s possible future military utility in Germany.”While deployed Oct. 15 through Nov. 6, the Global Hawk system completed six sorties for a total of 29 flight hours. The sorties focused on demonstrating increasing levels of interoperability between the Global Hawk system, a German exploitation ground station and a German electronic intelligence sensor. “The first three missions focused on testing the successful integration and compatibility between the sensor and Global Hawk,” said Tom Moss, Air Force Global Hawk deployment project lead. “Our goal was to demonstrate collection of a variety of ground, air and maritime-based radars from a high altitude, long endurance UAV.“The last three missions continued to refine sensor operations, as the U.S. and German Air Force teams, and the (two contractor) teams, worked together in an outstanding display of transatlantic cooperation,” Moss said.