Global Vigiliance Change of Directorship

New Global Vigilance Combined Test Force director, Lt. Col. Landon L. Henderson (center) shakes the hand of outgoing director, Lt. Col. Nathan Smith, during a change of directorship ceremony Mar. 4. Col. Colin Miller, 412th Operations Group commander (far left) presided over the ceremony. The GVCTF oversees all unmanned aerial vehicle testing for the 412th Test Wing. (Air Force photo by Rob Densmore)

X-47B 1

An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration aircraft flies high over Edwards Feb. 4 while making its first flight. The X-47 climbed to an altitude of 5,000 feet and flew several racetrack-type patterns for 29 minutes. (Air Force photo by Bobbi Zapka)

Global Observer first flight

AeroVironment Global Observer makes its first flight Aug. 5. Global Observer Aircraft 1001 took off from runway 04L at Edwards Air Force Base and climbed to an altitude of 4,000 feet where it performed a series of maneuvers before landing successfully one hour later. (photo by Kevin North)

Global Hawk

A BACN Global Hawk, one of two battlefield airborne command node unmanned aerial systems, took off from Northrop Grumman’s manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif., July 14. The aircraft made its first functional checkout flight after completing modifications to a communications platform. The functional checkout flight ended with a picture-perfect landing at Edwards. The Joint Urgent Warfighter Need program's purpose is to improve air and ground communications while on the battlefield. (Air Force photo by Greg L. Davis)

Testing studies Global Hawk’s electromagnetic profile

A full RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 20 aircraft hangs inside the Benefield Anechoic Facility here June 30 during electromagnetic profile testing. This is the first time a full Global Hawk aircraft was tested inside the anechoic facility. (Air Force photo by Jet Fabara)

Edwards celebrates Global Hawk's 10-year birthday

The Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle lands here Feb. 28 after an eight-hour mission. The flight marked the 10th anniversary of the Global Hawk's first flight where the aircraft flew for one hour and reached an altitude of 32,000 feet above Edwards skies. Today, the Global Hawk has logged more than 20,000 flight hours, of which 15,000 were flown supporting warfighters in the Global War on Terror. (Air Force photo by Jim Shryne)