Global Hawk a show-stopper

The Global Hawk has great range and endurance.

By FLGOFF Simon Paton

THE Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk was the attention grabber for many visitors attending the recent Australian International Airshow 2003.

Northrop Grumman displayed the Global Hawk and partnered it with the highly sophisticated RQ-8A Fire Scout, a vertical takeoff and landing tactical unhabited Air Vehicle System.

The Global Hawk has been deployed with success in the war against terrorism.

Its statistics are impressive. With a wing span of 35.4m, a length of 13.53m and a height of 4.63m, Global Hawk is not a small, inconsequential aircraft.

The aircraft has high-altitude, endurance capabilities, providing aerial reconnaissance with high resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas.

It has a range of 25,015km and can remain airborne for 36 hours non-stop.

Among the most sophisticated of the technology at Avalon 2003, the UAVs were a fascinating illustration of the transformation of powered flight from its foundations through to the present day.

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