According to media reports over the weekend, flights from the certain UK airports to Mallorca could be disrupted by military drones. According to The Mirror, British holidaymakers travelling from a major airport could face major delays if RAF plans to launch military drones from a nearby base go ahead, bosses have warned. The RAF has announced plans to launch US-made drones from RAF Fairford, its Gloucestershire base, “two to three times per week”, a move airport chiefs have said could have disastrous consequences for UK flights. The base will soon start flying RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones, but to do so, it must sever a flight path used by Birmingham Airport.
The path is used by multiple airlines to carry thousands of people to and from the airport several times a week, and, without it, Birmingham bosses say flights could be extended by hundreds of miles. Managers have written to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which coordinates UK airspace, with airline representatives following suit in outlining their own fears. Letters seen by the Daily Telegraph outline fears from senior airport managers that blocking the airport flight path could also delay flights for up to 20 minutes. Joining the group in highlighting concerns, Ryanair representatives added the USAD plans could delay up to 2,800 passengers.
In addition to the delays, Jet2 warned the new arrangements could also prove costly for customers, who may have to help foot the bill for the additional roughly £901 incurred by the new flight path. Representatives for both Birmingham Airport and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have said discussions are ongoing, and that both parties are hoping to find an acceptable solution that avoids mass disruption.
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft introduced in 2001. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The RQ-4 provides a broad overview and systematic surveillance using high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors with long loiter times over target areas.
The Global Hawk is operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It is used as a high-altitude long endurance (HALE) platform covering the spectrum of intelligence collection capability to support forces in worldwide military operations. According to the USAF, the superior surveillance capabilities of the aircraft allow more precise weapons targeting and better protection of friendly forces. Cost overruns led to the original plan to acquire 63 aircraft being cut to 45, and to a 2013 proposal to mothball the 21 Block 30 signals intelligence variants.
The initial flyaway cost of each of the first 10 aircraft was US$10 million in 1994. By 2001, this had risen to US$60.9 million ($100 million in 2023), and then to $131.4 million (flyaway cost) in 2013. The U.S. Navy has developed the Global Hawk into the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance platform. As of 2022, the U.S. Air Force plans to retire its Global Hawks in 2027.