$20.5M to Complete RQ-4B Global Hawk Development

RQ-4A and RQ-4B Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in San Diego, CA received a $20.5 million cost-plus award-fee contract modification (F33657-01-C-4600/ P00113) “to complete the development of the Global Hawk RQ-4B to meet the start of Initial Operation Test and Evaluation Office in November 2008.” Items covered include operational capabilities (the RQ-4B is currently in low-rate initial production), and critical infrastructure items such as building additional test equipment for the Global Hawk System Integration Lab. Which may distinguish it from an earlier $42.5 million contract modification (F33657-01-C-4600, P00099) that seems very similar. DID covered that modification on June 15, 2005. It was also intended to “provide for the completion of development on the Global Hawk RQ-4B (AF-8), including developmental and operational testing.” The RQ-4B is a larger version of the extremely successful RQ-4A Global Hawk reconaissance UAV, which has been rushed into service as part of the Global War on Terror. See all DID Global Hawl coverage. Solicitations for this contract began in March 2005, negotiations were complete August 2005, and work will be complete by September 2007. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract.