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Technology update
UAV flies extended-range mission
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The U.S. Air Force's RQ-4A Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has successfully flown a 12.9-h, extended-range mission that covered over 4500 nmi. During the flight, the UAV collected Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery on selected targets at five military test ranges located hundreds of miles apart. This flight represented the third mission of the program's 13-month Demonstration and Evaluation Phase. It also represented the 25th flight for the Global Hawk system and 16th for Air Vehicle No. 1.
The Global Hawk is being developed by the U.S. Air Force to be a long-endurance, high-altitude UAV for multiple battlefield applications. It will provide military commanders with the ability to observe the movements of enemy assets and personnel from great distances with good clarity and near real-time accuracy. Capable of surveying an area the size of Illinois (40,000 mi2) in just
24 h, the UAV can range as far as 13,500 nmi at altitudes up to 65,000 ft.
According to Lt. Col. Pat Bolibrzuch, Program Manager at the Global Hawk Program Office, the UAV took off and reached a maximum altitude of about 61,000 ft mean sea level and maximum true airspeed of about 335 kts. During the mission, 91 SAR Spot images were planned for collection, but 119 were actually taken - 112 SAR Spot and seven SAR Wide Area Search scenes.
In addition to the preplanned imagery collections, the aircraft was able to accomplish two sensor retaskings. Preliminary flight test results and information from the mission debrief indicate that all test objectives were met successfully.
The prime contractor for the Global Hawk is Ryan Aeronautical in San Diego, CA, which was recently acquired by Northrop Grumman Corp. Subcontractors to the program include: Raytheon Systems Co. located in Falls Church, VA, Garland, TX, and El Segundo, CA, which builds the UAV's ground segment, sensors, and decoys; Rolls-Royce Allison in Indianapolis, IN, which manufactures the vehicle's turbofan engine; Boeing North American in Wichita, KS, which builds the Global Hawk's single, 116-ft carbon-fiber wing; and L3 Com in Salt Lake City, UT, which produces the aircraft's communications system.
Frank Bokulich
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