Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Systems Sector (ISS) has received $20.5 million from the U.S. Air Force for advanced procurement of long-lead parts for the start of low-rate initial production of two Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles and one mission control element.
Work under this contract will begin immediately and conclude in March 2003.
The Global Hawk program is currently in engineering and manufacturing development following the successful completion of the Milestone II phase of the program in February 2001.
On June 7, Global Hawk returned from a successful six-week deployment to Australia, where it demonstrated maritime surveillance capabilities in a series of exercises with the Australian government.
Under development for the Air Force’s Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with high-resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas.
Northrop Grumman ISS’s Air Combat Systems business area is the prime contractor, with work performed at its Unmanned Systems facilities in San Diego and Palmdale, Calif.
