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Northrop Grumman received a work order to help the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center begin engineering and planning work to reconfigure four US Air Force Global Hawk EQ-4 Block 20 aircraft for use in SkyRange’s test vehicle fleet.
Northrop Grumman provides support for TRMC’s current fleet of Global Hawk aircraft.
The SkyRange program will equip the four high-altitude, long-endurance EQ-4 aircraft with sensors to demonstrate an alternative system of supporting data collection to support testing of US hypersonic systems. Modifications to the Block 20 jets are scheduled to take place at Northrop Grumman’s Grand Sky facility near Grand Forks, North Dakota.
“The SkyRange program harnesses the intrinsic strengths of Global Hawk – altitude, persistence, payload and flexibility,†said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager of global surveillance, Northrop Grumman. “Grand Sky’s high-tech facility with a modern 35,000 square foot hangar is the ideal location for engineering modifications to Global Hawk in support of the SkyRange program.”
Today, Global Hawk is the first autonomous, high-altitude, long-endurance ISR platform for the U.S. Air Force and its global partners. To meet future operational needs, Global Hawk is receiving ground station, cyber resilience, and mission planning upgrades to enable it to provide intelligence to combat commanders and perform new missions without putting personnel down. in danger.
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