Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northr...-4_Global_Hawk

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned (UAV) surveillance
aircraft. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop
Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The Global Hawk performs a
similar role as the Lockheed U-2. The RQ-4 provides a broad overview and
systematic surveillance using high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and
long-range electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors with long loiter times over
target areas. It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles (100,000 km2) of
terrain a day.

The Global Hawk is operated by the United States Air Force. It is used as a
high-altitude platform covering the spectrum of intelligence collection
capability to support forces in worldwide military operations. According to the
United States Air Force, 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. Each aircraft was to cost US$60.9 million in 2001, but this had risen
to $222.7 million per aircraft (including development costs) by 2013. The U.S.
Navy has developed the Global Hawk into the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance
platform.

The Global Hawk took its first flight on 28 February 1998. The first seven
aircraft were built under the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD)
program, sponsored by DARPA, in order to evaluate the design and demonstrate its
capabilities. Demand for the RQ-4's abilities was high in the Middle East; thus,
the prototype aircraft were actively operated by the U.S. Air Force in the War
in Afghanistan. In an unusual move, the aircraft entered initial low-rate
production while still in engineering and manufacturing development. Nine
production Block 10 aircraft, sometimes referred to as RQ-4A, were produced; of
these, two were sold to the US Navy and an additional two were deployed to Iraq
to support operations there. The final Block 10 aircraft was delivered on 26
June 2006.


Role
Surveillance UAV

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Northrop Grumman

First flight
28 February 1998

Status
In service

Primary users
United States Air Force
NASA
NATO

Number built
42 RQ-4Bs as of FY2013

Program cost
US$10 billion (USAF cost through FY2014)

Unit cost

US$131.4M (FY13)
US$222.7M (with R&D)


Developed into
Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton

In May 2014, a U.S. Global Hawk conducted a surveillance mission over Nigeria as
part of the search for the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls. The Global Hawk
joined MC-12 manned aircraft in the search.

The Global Hawk has been used in Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The aircraft provide real-time imagery and
signals intelligence to identify friendly and enemy forces, do long-term target
development, and track enemy equipment movement, enabling combatant commanders
to act on better information and make key decisions. The BACN version allows
ground troops to contact aircraft when they are in need of assistance, such as
close air support. On 11 November 2015, an EQ-4 became the first Global Hawk
aircraft to reach flying 500 sorties. All three EQ-4s in operation are
supporting OIR. Upon landing, maintainers can complete ground maintenance and
make the aircraft mission ready again within five hours; missions can last up to
30 hours, with each aircraft getting a "day off" in between combat flights. On 1
April 2017, an EQ-4 completed 1,000 continuous sorties, without incurring a
single maintenance cancellation, while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

Records

On 24 April 2001, a Global Hawk flew non-stop from Edwards in the US to RAAF
Base Edinburgh in Australia, making history by being the first pilotless
aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean. The flight took 22 hours, and set a world
record for absolute distance flown by a UAV, 13,219.86 kilometers (8,214.44 mi).

On 22 March 2008, a Global Hawk set the endurance record for full-scale,
operational unmanned aircraft UAVs by flying for 33.1 hours at altitudes up to
60,000 feet over Edwards Air Force Base.

From its first flight in 1998 to 9 September 2013, the combined Global Hawk
fleet flew 100,000 hours. 88 percent of flights were conducted by USAF RQ-4s,
while the remaining hours were flown by NASA Global Hawks, the EuroHawk, the
Navy BAMS demonstrator, and the MQ-4C Triton. Approximately 75 percent of
flights were in combat zones; RQ-4s flew in operations over Afghanistan, Iraq,
and Libya; and supported disaster response efforts in Haiti, Japan, and
California.

From 10–16 September 2014, the RQ-4 fleet flew a total of 781 hours, the most
hours flown by the type during a single week. 87 percent of flights were made by
USAF RQ-4s, with the rest flown by the Navy BAMS-D and NASA hurricane research
aircraft.

The longest Global Hawk combat sortie lasted 32.5 hours.

Specifications (RQ-4B Block 30/40)

General characteristics
Crew: 0 onboard (3 remote: Launch and Recovery Element (LRE) pilot; Mission
Control Element (MCE) pilot and sensor operator)
Length: 47.6 ft (14.5 m)
Wingspan: 130.9 ft (39.9 m)
Height: 15.3 ft (4.7 m)
Empty weight: 14,950 lb (6,781 kg)
Gross weight: 32,250 lb (14,628 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce F137-RR-100 turbofan engine, 7,600 lbf (34 kN)
thrust

Performance
Maximum speed: 391 mph (629 km/h; 340 kn)
Cruise speed: 357 mph (575 km/h; 310 kn)
Range: 14,154 mi (12,299 nmi; 22,779 km)
Endurance: 32+ hours
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)





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