Posted on 06/26/2009 12:08:56 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The latest version of the Global Hawk unmanned spy plane, equipped with more sophisticated and capable sensors, was unveiled Thursday to great fanfare by builder Northrop Grumman Corp. and the Air Force at the manufacturing site at Air Force Plant 42.
"There's a demand that continues for unmanned systems, and we feel we're leading the way," said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of High Altitude Long Endurance Systems and site manager for unmanned systems.
"Global Hawk has really transformed itself since it began as an advanced development concept in the mid-1990s," he said. "I believe Global Hawk is going to be the pathfinder and the trailblazer as we go forward."
The new version, dubbed Block 40, uses the same basic airframe as the most recent Global Hawk models but has new sensors.
It will provide an all-weather, day-night capability for radar mapping and tracking moving or stationary ground targets over large distances and for long periods of time.
This persistence capability is critical, program officials said.
The combination of the Global Hawk platform, capable of flying at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours at a time, and the sensor technology "is something unprecedented," Guerra said.
The multi-platform radar technology insertion program is a scalable sensor package that may be increased as needed.
The new sensors have been tested on Scaled Composites' high-altitude Proteus aircraft over Mojave for three years and will continue such testing for new models, Guerra said.
The high-altitude test aircraft provides "a good way to get an early peek at how it performs at altitude," he said.
Three developmental units have been tested, one of which will be modified for installation into the Global Hawk itself, which is scheduled to begin flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base this summer.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
"NEW, IMPROVED - Production workers with Northrop Grumman Corp. pose Thursday in front of the latest version of Global Hawk, the unmanned spy plane, dubbed Block 40, during a rollout ceremony for the aircraft at the Air Force Plant 42 facility in Palmdale." EVELYN KRISTO/Valley Press
Bye bye JSTARS.
Good thing Bush got it rolling when he did, or it probably never would have gotten made.
Agreed...
Hello Skynet.
You have a message from John Connor.......call me at 534525262625121
Me and my buddies are getting tired of regular RC planes.
How do we get ahold of one of these surplus and do they include the flight controls?
gollee...
It can work with Predators, with Global Hawk finding targets, and Predators being dispatched to take them out.
Well that’s just SSUUUPER.
Why bye bye JSTARS? Because I think Congressional staffers, eager to harvest money from somewhere, anywhere won’t fully understand JSTARS and will assume it can be replaced by a couple of Global Hawks or some other unmanned system.
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