RQ-4 Global Hawk

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance HALE unmanned aircraft system developed by Northrop Grumman. Its primary mission is to provide commanders with near-real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data across very large geographic areas.

Global Hawk is designed to remain at high altitude for extended periods, performing a role comparable to that of manned reconnaissance aircraft. Its integrated sensor suite provides imagery intelligence during day and night and in all-weather conditions; electro-optical and thermal cameras are complemented by AESA, SAR and GMTI radars for wide-area scanning and moving-target tracking.

Mission management is conducted through a ground segment that includes launch and recovery control, mission control, data links and dynamic mission planning. Satellite and digital data links allow sensor information to be distributed to different command levels. Global Hawk is an unarmed, reconnaissance-focused system.

The RQ-4 family includes different blocks and mission configurations, so speed, endurance, sensor suite and payload values can vary by variant. According to the Plarok database, this record has a maximum speed of 310 knots, an endurance of 34 hours, a service ceiling of 60,000 feet and a payload capacity of 1,360 kilograms.