By Marina Malenic
The first Block 40 Global Hawk RQ-4 unmanned surveillance aircraft will begin flight testing at Edwards AFB, Calif., this summer, Northrop Grumman [NOC] officials said yesterday.
The newest Global Hawk variant carries an all-weather multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP) sensor, which will help the military detect, track and identify stationary and moving targets, said George Guerra, vice president for high altitude long endurance (HALE) systems for the company.
“That will wrap up with [Initial Operational Test and Evaluation] sometime this fall,” Guerra told reporters during a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington.
Flying at altitudes of over 60,000 feet for up to 32 hours per sortie, the MP-RTIP-equipped Block 40 Global Hawk is designed to see through most type of weather, day or night. Use of the MP-RTIP sensor on the Block 40 Global Hawks marks the first time the active electronic scanned array (AESA) technology has been used on a high-altitude unmanned aircraft.
MP-RTIP-equipped Global Hawks will also provide NATO users with real-time data, intelligence, and target identification. Guerra said that the company has received the formal solicitation for the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system and that the deal for eight Global Hawk aircraft could be worth approximately $2.2 billion.
After exploring options for a NATO AGS capability, members of the alliance signed a memorandum of understanding in September to fund development of a program. The AGS system will provide intelligence and target identification for NATO users within and beyond line of sight. The system architecture and the configuration of the ground segment are being developed to accommodate a network centric approach, according to Guerra. Also, the use of standardization will ensure system interoperability, not only with the NATO systems, but also the various national intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
Meanwhile, a NASA-operated Global Hawk aircraft has begun flying earth science study missions over the Pacific as an atmospheric research aircraft, officials from the space agency said yesterday. The drone takes off from Edwards and is equipped with special sensors for sampling the atmosphere at altitudes about twice those flown by commercial airliners.
Earlier this year, the Air Force’s 12th Reconnaissance Squadron out of Beale AFB, Calif., launched a Block 10 Global Hawk to assist with humanitarian aid in Haiti after the country suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 12 (Defense Daily, Jan. 25).