Block 40 Global Hawk down in Grand Forks

A Block 40 Global Hawk belonging to Grand Forks AFB has crashed just outside the base. The aircraft was returning to Grand Forks AFB when it crashed around 7am. It crashed approximately 4 miles north of the base. It's possible that the aircraft was supporting Red Flag 21-3, as a Global Hawk was part of the exercise, and was noted on trackers over the Nellis Range Complex overnight this week.

The cause of the accident will be investigated by the Accident Investigation Board appointed by the Air Force. More details will be posted as they come available.

An unmanned Air Force drone crashed Friday morning in a field about 4 miles north of Grand Forks Air Force Base.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk crashed into a field on the 2700 block of 27th Avenue Northeast Friday, Aug. 6, according to interviews with Grand Forks County Sheriff's deputies and Air Force public affairs staff.

Sheriff's deputies, Air Force staff and members of the North Dakota Highway Patrol were on the scene Friday morning. The Air Force was working to recover the drone, which has a 130.9-foot wingspan and weighs about 14,950 pounds.

The Air Force issued a press release about the crash shortly after 11 a.m., noting the time of the crash -- around 7 a.m. -- and that the drone was returning to the base at the time of the incident.

www.grandforksherald.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58
Thank God it didn't come down in a populated area. That could have been ugly.
Although, looking at the map, it isn't exactly a metropolis in that area.
I'll be curious as to what the investigation finds.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I hate to see us loose a bird, but it's so much easier to hear when it's an unmanned drone.

On a red flag exercise?

I hope it wasn’t testing something too expensive onboard

So the Air Force wanted to retire these anyway.............

a reply to: TritonTaranis

Unlikely they test anything too fancy as we invite a lot of other nations to take part...doubt anything used isn't already NATO disseminated yet.

a reply to: TritonTaranis

They usually aren't testing during Red Flag missions, they're training other crews how to integrate with them, or using the onboard "translator" to help the legacy airframes talk to the new aircraft. Most of the testing is done out of Palmdale.

a reply to: JIMC5499

They're trying to get rid of the Block 30. The 40 is more flexible.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I was reading this article and it stated that the AF was looking to get rid of some of them. www.airforcemag.com...

a reply to: JIMC5499

They want to get rid of 20 of 21 Block 30 aircraft, leaving 3 Block 20, 1 Block 30, and now 9 Block 40.

Did the hard drive eject in time :-P