Pentagon’s Global Hawk Reaches “500-Sortie Milestone”
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In a world first, the US Air Force’s EQ-4 Global Hawk drone has completed its 500th flight.
After nearly 13,000 flight hours, the Global Hawk became the first system of its kind to perform 500 missions, “living up to the Pentagon’s nickname ‘workhorse.’”
At an estimated cost of $223 million per unit, Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk, but the capabilities it provides are worth every penny. Aside from its fire power, the Global Hawk is equipped with equipment to facilitate communication in hostile terrain.
“If an [allied F-15 fighter] aircraft needed to talk to one of our F-15s, this Global Hawk enables them to do that,” said Staff Sgt. Bradley of the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “It will also allow allied troops on the ground to get in touch with our jets.”
The Global Hawk can conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and is configured to function as a mobile cellphone tower. It allows communication from the ground to elevations of 18 (60,000 feet) kilometers.
“When you have guys on the ground fighting the war and you have the Global Hawk in the air acting as a satellite, it ensures the guys on the ground can talk to the guys in the air,” Senior Airmen Michael, 380th EAMS tactical aircraft maintainer journeyman added. “Flying at altitudes of 60,000 feet gives the Global Hawk UAV an added level of security.”
All this on top of its precise striking power, which can be called upon by ground forces with pinpoint accuracy, and long flight-duration – more than 30 hours.
“These platforms are on both ends of the kill table, from developing targets to enabling strikes through communications they provide,” said Col. John, the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group commander in a statement.
The EQ-4 Global Hawk is an invaluable – and now record breaking – asset to the modern US military. It allows “the Airmen assigned to the 380 EOG will ensure the Global Hawks are positioned to crush our enemies while taking care of our friends,” said the US Air Force.
