The US Air Force has declared initial operating capability (IOC) for the Northrop Grumman Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawk, following successful deployments over Japan and Libya earlier this year.
“The basic requirement for Block 30 IOC is to support one continuous Block 30 24-hour orbit for 30 days,” said Gen William Fraser, Air Combat Command commander. “There are enough assets and infrastructure in place to support the one continuous Block 30 orbit requirement for IOC.”
However, Gen Fraser noted “There is still much that needs to be done to reach Global Hawk full operational capability.”