Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude,
remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by
Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development.
The RQ-4 provides a broad overview and systematic surveillance using high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and
electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors with long loiter times over target areas. It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles
(100,000 km2) of terrain per day, an area the size of South Korea or Iceland.
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Specialisation
  • Operated by the United States Air Force (USAF).
  • Used as a high-altitude long endurance (HALE) platform.
  • Covering the spectrum of intelligence collection.
  • Capability to support forces in worldwide military operations.
  • The superior surveillance capabilities of the aircraft allow more precise weapons.
  • Global Hawk took its first flight on 28 February 1998.
  • The first seven aircraft were built under the (ACTD) program.
  • To increase the aircraft's capabilities, the airframe was redesigned.


System and ground facilities
  1. a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

  2. electro-optical (EO)

  3. thermographic camera (IR)


Type:

Variants

RQ-4A

Initial production version for the USAF, 16 built.

RQ-4B

Improved version with increased payload

RQ-4D Phoenix

NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS).

RQ-4E Euro Hawk

based on RQ-4B and equipped with an EADS

August, 2022