Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk UAS Celebrating 15 Years of Operation
Sunday will mark 15 years since Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk began supporting U.S. Air Force combat operations.
The high-flying reconnaissance vehicle debuted during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The original purpose of the Global Hawk was to support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and its efforts to evaluate high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft.
After conducting its first flight on Feb. 28, 1998, Global Hawk continued undergoing development. Three years later, after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the system was enlisted to help the United States in its effort against the war on terror.
“Global Hawk went to war soon after the tragic events of 9/11 and has never come home,” said Mick Jaggers, vice president and program manager of the Global Hawk program.
“We are incredibly proud of Global Hawk’s legacy of service to the United States Air Force and are grateful to the hundreds of men and women who have helped make Global Hawk the pre-eminent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform in the world.”
During its inaugural mission in the Middle East, the Global Hawk provided critical pre-strike and post-strike data necessary for effective combat operations. The first team charged with operating the UAS was led by Avis Anderson, who now serves as Northrop Grumman’s director of global logistics and operations.
In 15 years of operation, the Global Hawk has amassed more than 200,000 flight hours, with the Air Force’s Global Hawks logging a majority of those hours, while NASA Global Hawks, Germany’s Full Scale Demonstrator and the Navy’s broad area maritime surveillance aircraft systems flew the remaining hours.
