Air Force parks first Global Hawk UAV at its new base in Grand Forks

Posted by John McHaleGRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D., 2 June 2011. The first RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) arrived at Grand Forks Air Force Base where Block 20 and Block 40 Global Hawks will be based.Both Block 20 and 40 Global Hawks -- developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) -- will be controlled from Grand Forks. Block 40 will fly from the Grand Forks main operating base to any location worldwide for humanitarian and military missions.Block 20 and 40 have a similar size, but carry different payloads. The Block 40 UAVs have the Northrop Grumman AN/ZPY-2 Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor, built with Raytheon Space and Missile Systems in El Segundo, Calif. The MP-RTIP radar sensor concurrently uses synthetic aperture radar imaging while simultaneously tracking moving targets over large areas.The RQ-4 Global Hawk flies as high as 60,000 feet, above weather and commercial airspace. Global Hawk flies for more than 32 hours per sortie at speeds approaching 340 knots. The Global Hawk industry team includes: Aurora Flight Sciences in Bridgeport, West Va. (V-tail assembly and other composite structures); L-3 Communications in Salt Lake City (communication system); Raytheon Co., Waltham in Mass. (ground station); Rolls-Royce Corp. in Indianapolis (engine); and Triumph Aerostructures in Dallas (wing).