Northrop Grumman has flown a legacy U.S. Air Force sensor for the first time on a company-built RQ-4 Global Hawk drone as part of efforts to demonstrate sensors that are previously unavailable to the unmanned aerial vehicle. The Optical Bar Camera test marks the second of three planned demonstrations of the technology, Northrop said Wednesday. The broad-area sensor is designed to transmit panoramic […] More

The Northrop Grumman-built Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system has logged 200,000 flight hours. The company said Tuesday Global Hawks operated by the U.S. Air Force recorded 88 percent of the total flight hours while UAVs run by NASA, U.S. Navy and Germany logged the remaining flight hours. “This milestone is especially meaningful as it comes just […] More

Northrop Grumman has received a technology recognition for the company’s Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system from San Diego-based innovation company accelerator Connect. Connect presented the William W. Otterson Award at the company’s Most Innovative New Products ceremony on Dec. 1, 2015, Northrop said Tuesday. “Global Hawk has always been on the cutting edge of innovation, from its […] More

Northrop Grumman has marked the start of component parts production with Korea Jig and Fixtures and Firstec for South Korea’s RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial systems. Firstec displayed its wire harnesses and KJF showed its aerospace-grade machine parts for the UAS at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, Northrop said Thursday. Northrop works with Firstec and […] More

Northrop Grumman Corp. has won a sustainment award for the company’s Global Hawk unmanned aircraft program from the U.S. Air Force for the third year in a row. The Dr. James G. Roche Sustainment Excellence Award is granted to the RQ-4 Global Hawk based on the program’s performance in aircraft maintenance and logistics readiness, Northrop […] More

A Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial system underwent a flight test designed to evaluate the drone’s ability to connect with the U.S. Air Force‘s distributed common ground system. The RQ-4 performed more than 30 hours of endurance flight during recent interoperability assessments held at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Northrop said Tuesday. […] More

Northrop Grumman has conducted an inaugural flight test of a multispectral sensor payload onboard a high-altitude long-range unmanned aircraft system. Northrop said Wednesday it integrated the MS-177 sensor into an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone during the test flight held at the company’s facility in Palmdale, California. The sensor is designed to find targets with broad area search and sensing methods as well as help operators fix, track and […] More

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman for modernization work on a ground segment the service branch uses to control Global Hawk autonomous unmanned aircraft systems. Northrop said Monday the work will include a modular and scalable cockpit architecture, as well as an updated command and control capacity across all missions and sensors. “Global Hawk […] More

Northrop Grumman has flown a SYERS-2 intelligence-gathering sensor on an RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system using its Universal Payload Adapter. The company said Thursday the demonstration marked the first time the U.S Air Force sensor has been mounted on a high-altitude drone. The flight tests conducted at Northrop’s California facility are part of the company’s cooperative research and […] More

Northrop Grumman has received Milestone C approval for the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system it built for the U.S. Air Force. The approval from the Milestone Decision Authority is part of the Defense Department‘s acquisition process and paves the way for the Global Hawk to move into the production phase, the company said Tuesday. “The most important date in any […] More

Northrop Grumman is showcasing the U.S. Air Force‘s RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 at the Avalon Air Show in Australia, where it arrived following a 3,500-mile flight from Guam, Defense News reported Saturday. Aaron Mehta writes that this is the first time that the drone has been exhibited at an international air show. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, not just for defense […] More

Northrop Grumman has received component parts from Korea Jig and Fixture and Firstec for integration with South Korea’s RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial system. Northrop said Thursday it received deliveries of KJF-built aerospace-grade machine parts after Firstec handed the wire harnesses designed to transmit electrical signals for the UAS early this year. Firstec and KJF started producing […] More