Northrop Grumman receives funding for more USAF Global Hawks

Northrop Grumman has received $114 million in advance funding from the US Air Force (USAF) to build three additional RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and associated sensors.

The advance procurement contract provides for advance procurement of long lead items associated with three Block 30 aircraft, including three enhanced integrated sensor suites, three airborne signals intelligence payload (ASIP) and two ASIP retrofit kits to be installed on previously purchased aircraft.

Able to fly for long periods at altitudes up to 60,000 feet, the RQ-4 Global Hawk provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data to military commanders via a variety of sensor payloads. These payloads can gather high-resolution imagery, detect moving or stationary targets on the ground, and provide airborne communications and information sharing capabilities to military units in harsh environments.

George Guerra, vice president for Global Hawk UAS, Northrop Grumman, said: ‘Global Hawk's ability to fly more than 30 hours at high altitudes while gathering multiple types of intelligence data makes it extremely valuable to field commanders who need near real-time information. 

‘This award is especially important because it reaffirms the air force's commitment to this safe and cost-effective system, which has been supporting our warfighters for more than 15 years in the US and abroad.’

Global Hawk has logged more than 100,000 flight hours and has been used over battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.