Drone Ground Controls to be Modernized by Raytheon

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The ground segment for the U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk autonomous aircraft will be modernized by Raytheon, within the framework of a subcontract valued up to $104 million.

Raytheon partners with Northrop Grumman as the ground integrator for Global Hawk contracts.

According to gsnmagazine.com, the two companies have a long history of providing end-to-end Global Hawk solutions. Northrop Grumman builds the Global Hawk, the U.S. Air Force’s high-altitude, long-endurance platform used to gather a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, data. Raytheon provides modernized ground controls to enhance capabilities, safety and cybersecurity of Global Hawk operations worldwide.

Global Hawk’s modernized mission control stations will use an open architecture to give the U.S. Air Force flexibility for adding different mission payloads and new platforms. Proven safety features are combined with cybersecurity for a safe and secure system.

Raytheon will develop and install building-based mission control stations at Beale and Grand Forks Air Force Bases. The new stations will replace the current, shelter-based, mission control and launch & recovery elements.

Raytheon recently announced the U.S. Navy’s MQ-8 autonomous helicopter deployment aboard the USS Coronado, with advanced control stations based on the same open architecture model that will be used by the Air Force.