Mary-Louise Hoffman
A drone Northrop Grumman built for the German military performed 25.3 hours of continuous flight and reached a maximum 58,600-foot altitude during an endurance test.
The EuroHawk program is a partnership between Northrop and EADS subsidiary Cassidian that intends to replace Germany’s aging fleet of Breguet Atlantic manned aircraft, Northrop said Tuesday.
Janis Pamiljans, a Northrop sector vice president and general manager of unmanned systems, said the unmanned aircraft system has recorded 200 flight hours and completed 19 flights to date.
EuroHawks contain signals intelligence sensors that work to detect radar and communication emitters, Northrop says.
Northrop designed the UAS to fly up to more than 30 hours at more than 60,000 feet.
