Euro Hawk Completed Flight of 25 Hours in Germany 

Photo Courtesy of Josef Gietl/Northrop Grumman Corp.

By Ashley Addington



Northrop Grumman’s Euro Hawk completed its longest flight in history on 8 Aug. over Manching Air Base, Germany. 



The Euro Hawk flew for approximately 25.3 hours in European airspace at 58,600 feet. So far the system has completed 19 flights and close to 200 hours of air time. Currently it is the only unmanned aerial vehicle approved to fly high-altitude surveillance missions in Germany. 



"The Euro Hawk has performed safely and reliably with good results throughout its entire flight test program,” Rolf Wirtz, head of mission systems at Cassidian’s UAS branch, said in a press release. 



With a wingspan larger than normal commercial vehicles, the autonomous plane is capable of flying up to altitudes of 60,000 feet, and its flights can extend to 30 hours, according to the company. 



"I commend the entire Euro Hawk customer and industry team on achieving this record-breaking flight,” said Janis Pamiljans, sector vice president and general manager of unmanned systems for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “We remain committed to delivering the best technology solution at the most affordable cost to meet Germany's national security interests."