Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk UAV logs 25,000 combat hours

San Diego: Northrop Grumman Corporation said its RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently reached a major milestone -- 25,000 combat hours -- during an operational sortie on 8-9 July from a deployed location.

"This is a significant program achievement, accounting for more than 76 percent of the aircraft's 32,500 cumulative flight hours for the US Air Force and US Navy," said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) systems.

First flown in 1998, Global Hawk has logged 1,229 missions so far in support of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) and disaster relief efforts. It has seen service in Operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom, and in several US and international joint forces exercises.

It has also provided support during Hurricane Ike and California wildfires.

In addition, Global Hawk's proven and unique capabilities to fly at high altitudes and cover large areas for long periods of time led the Air Force to recently select the Block 20 configuration for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), an airborne communications system that will provide warfighters with critical real-time battlefield information.

Tasking under the Joint Urgent Operational Need includes installing BACN on two Block 20 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, which enable around-the-clock coverage.