$302.9M to Northrop Grumman for 5 USAF RQ-4 Global Hawks

RQ-4: High flight(click to view full) The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have provided invaluable intelligence to US troops in the field in Iraq and Afghanistan over the years. In its first year of use in Afghanistan, the RQ-4 provided [pdf] more than 17,000 high-resolution images, flying more than 60 missions and over 1,200 combat hours. In Iraq, the system flew only 5% of the US Air Force’s high altitude reconnaissance sorties, but accounted for more than 55% of the time-sensitive targeting imagery generated to support strike missions. To maintain a fresh supply of Global Hawks, the Air Force is ordering 2 Block 30 RQ-4s and 3 next-generation Block 40 RQ-4s from Northrop Grumman for $302.9 million. RQ-4 Block 40(click to view full) Under the Lot 7 production contract, Northrop Grumman will build 2 Block 30 systems and 3 Block 40 systems for the 303d Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH, which manages the RQ-4 program for the Air Force. The award also includes a ground station with launch and recovery and mission control elements, plus 2 additional sensor suites that will be retrofitted into previous production aircraft. In 2010, the company will deliver […]