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 …
Read More »Northrop Tests Synoptic Sensor Tech on Global Hawk UAV; Mick Jaggers Comments
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 …
Read More »Northrop Receives Global Hawk Ground Segment Modernization Contract
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 …
Read More »Northrop-Built Global Hawk Hits 200K Flight Hours; Mick Jaggers Comments
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 …
Read More »Northrop Grumman Mounts SYERS-2 Intelligence-Gathering Sensor on Global Hawk
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 …
Read More »Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Receives William W. Otterson Award; Mick Jaggers Comments
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 …
Read More »Northrop’s Partners Firstec, KJF Begin Parts Production for South Korea’s Global Hawk; Mick Jaggers Comments
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 …
Read More »Northrop’s Global Hawk UAS Receives Milestone C Approval
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 …
Read More »Mick Jaggers: Northrop Wins Roche Sustainment Award for Third Consecutive Year
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 …
Read More »Northrop’s Global Hawk UAS on Display at Australian Air Show; Ian Irving Comments
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 …
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