Northrop Grumman updates on USAF Global Hawk
The US Air Force (USAF) RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) saw its cost per flight hour drop and number of flight hours increase significantly in 2014, Northrop Grumman said on 4 March.
According to the company, the high-altitude, long-endurance UAS programme has brought the system's cost per flight hour 'down to the point of being half the cost of the manned alternative'. The number of flight hours increased nearly 40% from 2013 to 2014, and the UAS maintained a perfect safety record over the financial period.
Mick Jaggers, director, Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman, said: 'As we move into 2015 and beyond, global security requires flexible systems and strategic agility. Global Hawk has proven again and again that it can bring unparalleled endurance, innovation and value to any mission.
'We are proud that, together with our air force partners, we are operating a very safe system that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information effectively and efficiently when and where it is needed.'
Global Hawks have flown over 140,000 flight hours supporting various missions. It carries a number of ISR sensor payloads and supports information sharing, airborne communications relay, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, antipiracy and antiterrorism missions.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
First flights of Rattler Supersonic Target prove successful
The US Department of Defense (DoD), along with QinetiQ, successfully conducted the first flights of the Rattler Supersonic Target MkI marking a significant advance in supersonic target technology.
-
Dedrone supplies CUAS systems to Ukraine and increases signal library
Dedrone has announced a strategic expansion via 16 new governmental contracts as the US-based CUAS company continued to develop its drone countermeasure technologies.
-
Baykar’s Akıncı UCAV completes live firing trials over the Black Sea
The Turkish company’s advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle demonstrated its capabilities during successful live firing trials.
-
Iranian UAV threat leaves Israel’s defence industry searching for answers
Iran has continued to invest heavily in its drone-building capacity, supplying Russia and Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, leading defence experts in Israel to call for more defensive solutions be developed to deter the threat from UAVs.
-
Emgepron and Tidewise team up to develop first ‘made-in-Brazil’ USV
Brazil's Emgepron and Tidewise have partnered to construct the Suppressor unmanned surface vessel by 2025 amid potential interest from the Brazilian Navy.
-
Autonomous navigation drives UUVs proliferation in the Indo-Pacific
The US Department of Defence has teamed up with Anduril Industries to develop advanced AI-driven long-range uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), countering China’s escalating UUV advancements.