Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk

Northrop Grumman · United States · first flew 1998 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk is the initial production variant of the HALE unmanned aerial vehicle designed for persistent strategic reconnaissance. Its extremely long wingspan enables flight above 60,000 ft for more than 30 hours.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Single turbofan engine above rear fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

High-altitude long-endurance (HALE) strategic ISR drone
Distinctive bulbous forward sensor fairing
Single turbofan engine above rear fuselage

Enormous wingspan (35 m) dwarfs the fuselage; the smooth, pointed nose fairing and single rear-mounted turbofan are unmistakeable.

Specifications

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk has a length of 13.53 m (44 ft).
It has a wingspan of 35.42 m (116 ft).
Its maximum speed is 629 km/h (391 mph).
Typical crew: 0 (unmanned).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed from the DARPA/USAF Tier II+ programme, the RQ-4A first flew in February 1998 and entered USAF service in the early 2000s. It flew combat ISR missions over Afghanistan and Iraq and proved the concept of autonomous long-endurance surveillance.

Variants

The RQ-4A was the Block 10 initial production version; the longer RQ-4B followed with improved sensors and payload capacity.

Where you'll see it

Operated by the US Air Force; Block 10 aircraft have been retired and replaced by the RQ-4B. Several allies including Germany operate the related NATO AGS variant.

Related aircraft

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