The RQ-4 Global Hawk fleet recently set a weekly flying hour record surpassing 781 combined flight hours in a single week, Northrop Grumman officials announced on Jan. 7. “The 2014 fiscal year was the most active yet for the Global Hawk, with a 40-percent year-over-year increase in flight hours,” company Global Hawk Director Mick Jaggers said in a release. “There are at least two Global Hawks in the air at all times providing indispensable [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance] information to those that need it,” he added. Air Force RQ-4s flew 87 percent of the record week’s flying hours, while the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance demonstrator, and NASA weather research Global Hawks flew the remainder, according to the company. The delivery of two Global Hawks—one each to Grand Forks AFB, N.D., and Beale AFB, Calif., last fall brings the total Air Force RQ-4 fleet to 33 aircraft, according to Northrop Grumman. The Air Force signed an agreement to purchase an additional four last August, which will be delivered in 2016 and 2017.
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.