SAN DIEGO, Aug. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air
Force's RQ-4 Global Hawk, a wide area surveillance unmanned
aircraft system, has just completed its 100th operational mission
in Southwest Asia and recently
moved into the Pacific region.
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Built by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC), Global Hawk is
operated largely out of the 69th Reconnaissance Group at
Grand Forks Air Force Base,
North Dakota. The 69th
Reconnaissance Group falls under the 9th Reconnaissance Wing,
central station for the entire Global Hawk fleet based at Beale Air
Force Base, California. Global
Hawk is equipped with the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion
Program sensor capable of detecting fixed and moving targets. It
has been flying early operational capability (EOC) missions since
September 2013, providing the high
priority wide area surveillance ground moving target indicator
(GMTI) capability in the U.S. Central and Africa Command regions.
Full system capability will be demonstrated when the system enters
initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) in the spring
of next year.
Global Hawk GMTI EOC operations have proven the viability of the
system, which expanded into the Pacific with two Global Hawk
aircraft deployed to Guam to
support U.S. Pacific Command peacetime surveillance requirements in
the region.
"Global Hawk delivers tremendous capabilities," said Col.
Lawrence Spinetta, commander of the
69th Reconnaissance Group. "It offers unmatched range and
persistence. As a result, combatant commander demand for the
RQ-4 continues to skyrocket. Operational success has led one
theater after another to request support from this high-altitude,
long-endurance aircraft."
Global Hawk has flown more than 115,000 flight hours supporting
diverse global missions. Carrying a variety of intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance sensor payloads, Global Hawk
supports antiterrorism, antipiracy, humanitarian assistance,
disaster relief, airborne communications and information-sharing
missions.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation