Northrop Grumman said Friday that its RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance system reached 1,000 combat flight hours June 15 in service with the U.S. Air Force in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Flying overseas with the Air Force since last fall, the high-altitude, long-endurance system achieved the milestone through the exceptional performance of multiple air vehicles. Global Hawk is in engineering and manufacturing development and low-rate initial production.
“The Air Force showed great confidence in the Global Hawk system by calling it into service to support Operation Enduring Freedom,” said Carl O. Johnson, Integrated Systems vice president and Global Hawk program manager. “Achieving 1,000 flight hours demonstrates the reliability of this autonomously controlled unmanned system.
“It is both an honor and a privilege for Northrop Grumman employees who are supporting Global Hawk in the field to serve side-by-side with the Air Force in the war against terrorism,” he said.
“This milestone is a testament to the dedication of the entire Global Hawk Air Force/contractor team. We are proud of their hard work to ensure the system’s continued exceptional performance in combat.”
Global Hawk is a high-altitude, unmanned aerial reconnaissance system that operates autonomously from takeoff to landing.
Flying at an altitude of 65,000 feet and with an endurance of more than 30 hours, the Global Hawk provides intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance information to the warfighter in near real-time.
The program is currently contracted by the Air Force. The U.S. Navy also plans to procure Global Hawk to demonstrate maritime surveillance capabilities to the fleet.
