Global Hawk Block 40 UAV delivered to USAF
A second Global Hawk Block 40 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ordered under Northrop Grumman’s Lot 10 contract has been delivered to the US Air Force ahead of schedule. The Block 40 UAS joins a Block 30 system delivered in November 2013.
Two additional aircraft, a final Block 30 and Block 40, are scheduled to arrive later this year, completing Global Hawk's Lot 10 contract. The additional aircraft will support increased operational flight hours without adding to the fixed support costs.
Mick Jaggers, director, Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said: ‘Global Hawk programme performance excellence is a core focus of our efforts. Delivering Global Hawk to our air force partners early is a good indicator of our solid performance. We look forward to continuing the reduction of Global Hawk's total mission costs while providing unparalleled capabilities.’
A total of 42 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft are currently in use around the world with 32 in the air force inventory. Northrop Grumman expects a contract for three more aircraft (Lot 11) this summer.
The Global Hawk performs intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The Global Hawk Block 40 is equipped with a multiplatform radar technology insertion programme (MP-RTIP) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with air-to-surface capability that provides wide-area surveillance of stationary and moving targets. The MP-RTIP sensor allows military commanders to gather near real-time imagery and detections of moving targets.
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