First trans-Atlantic drone flight is set to leave from North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Officials say the first trans-Atlantic flight by a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft is set to take off from an aviation park in North Dakota.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. drone is scheduled to leave from the Grand Sky park at the Grand Forks Air Force Base Tuesday afternoon. The flight will cover more than 3,000 miles before landing in Gloucestershire, England, where the Royal Air Force is holding its centennial celebration.

RELATED

New command recognizes Grand Forks base's drone mission

The Grand Forks Air Force Base is realigning its operations to coincide with the base's unmanned aircraft mission.

The aircraft is an MQ-9B, which is 38 feet long with a wingspan of 79 feet. The plane recently flew continuously for more than 48 hours.

General Atomics spokeswoman Melissa Haynes says the flight is meant demonstrate the technology that allows the plane to fly alongside private and commercial aircraft.

More In Air

Having visited Pakistan and China, is Argentina ready to buy the JF-17 jet?

Here's what we know about Argentina's progress so far in acquiring the JF-17 fighter, and its related goals for supporting local industry.

US Air Force mints program to hone command and control

“In order to fight as joint and coalition forces,” Lt. Col. Steve Wyatt said, “we need to understand each other’s capabilities and limitations, and how each entity operates and communicates.”

US Air Force seeks tech sweet spot for Advanced Battle Management System

“Those who have followed this ABMS journey, they’ve probably seen that it’s evolved over time as we learn more,” said Gen. CQ Brown, U.S. Air Force chief of staff.

Ukraine lessons helped drive acquisition of RADA, Leonardo DRS chief says

The merged companies hope to become a market leader in force protection and integrated multi-domain systems.

France requests Switchblade loitering munition to fill ‘urgent’ capability gap

The French Army has started the process of quickly procuring American-made loitering munitions as part of a longer-term effort to field remotely operated weapon systems, according to officials.