Global Hawk takes northern route, improves efficiency: "Staff Sgt. Ryan Conversi's eyes remain focused on a pair of industrial-strength laptop computers as the time approaches for the next launch of an RQ-4 Global Hawk on the Beale Air Force Base flightline.
One of the computers is a vehicle test controller and the other contains Sergeant Conversi's technical orders. Both help the 12th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief communicate with the operator as he prepares for the Global Hawk's next journey over Canada on the way to a forward operating location in Southwest Asia.
Since April, when the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron's Global Hawks began flying the northern route, maintainers have noticed an ability to get the aircraft serviced and back into the forward operation location more efficiently. The aircraft previously flew from Beale AFB to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., before continuing the route to Southwest Asia. The aircraft must return to Beale AFB for critical routine maintenance, so the new route decreases the time required to transport aircraft between the two locations.
'We're constantly swapping aircraft out for maintenance to provide the forward operators with fresh aircraft,' said Capt. Gary Toroni, the 12th Operations Support Squadron flight commander. 'The ability to fly through Canada also affords us the opportunity to not only have the aircraft out there in a short time period, but also bring them back so we can do service and maintenance and be able to get them forward-deployed.'"
