The Global Hawk with multi platform radar.(Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued June 25, 2009)
The Global Hawk Block 40, the first UAV fitted with an active electronic scanned array (AESA) radar, will begin flight tests in July. (Northrop Grumman photo)PALMDALE, Calif. --- Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force unveiled the next-generation of high-flying unmanned aircraft - the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk - in a ceremony today at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility.
"Carrying an advanced, all-weather multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP) sensor, the Block 40 aircraft will provide game-changing situational awareness for our warfighters with its unprecedented capability to detect, track and identify stationary and moving targets."
"The Global Hawk system is in high demand by joint warfighters overseas, having successfully flown more than 31,000 hours since 2001,"
Designated AF-18, this Block 40 aircraft was the 27th Global Hawk built since the program's inception in 1995 and is scheduled to begin flight testing next month.
Flying at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours per sortie at speeds approaching 340 knots, the MP-RTIP-equipped Block 40 Global Hawk can persistently see through most type of weather, day or night. .
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