Background: Northrop Grumman Ryan's RQ-4A/Global Hawk was selected in May 95 after a 6-month design competition among five vendors for DARPA's Tier II+ High Altitude Endurance (HAE) UAV Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. The ACTD's one requirement was a unit flyaway cost of $10 million (FY94$) per aircraft. Five aircraft are to be built for the ACTD. First flight occurred on 28 Feb 98. The ACTD concludes 31 Dec 99, followed by a production decision.
Characteristics:
| Length, ft | 44.4 | Wing Span, ft | 116.2 |
| Gross Weight, lbs | 25,600 | Payload Weight, lbs | 1,900 |
| Fuel Capacity, lbs | 14,500 | Fuel Type | JP-8 |
| Engine Make | 1xAllison AE3007H | Power, lbs | 7,600 (SLS) |
| Structure | Aluminum and composite | ||
| Guidance | Navigation | Litton 211G INS/GPS | |
| Data Link(s) | UHF X-band Ku-band |
Data Rate(s) | 9.6/9.6
kbps (down/up) 47.8/0.2 Mbps (down/up) 47.8/1.5 Mbps (down/up) |
| Endurance, hrs | 38 | Radius, nm | 2400 (with 24 hrs TOS) |
| Max Speed, kts | 345 | Stall Speed, kts | 95 |
| Altitude, ft | 65,000 | ||
| Takeoff Means | Conventional (3700 ft runway reqd) | ||
| Navigation | Preprogrammed
(999 points)/ autonomous/direct control |
||
| Landing Means | Conventional (5000 ft runway reqd) | ||
Sensor(s): Raytheon/Hughes EO/IR and SAR with MTI