Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk
| RQ-4 Global Hawk | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| An RQ-4 Global Hawk flying in 2007 | |
| 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 |
| Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk Block 10 Cutaway | |
 Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk Block 10 Cutaway from Flightglobal.com
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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.
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