Northrop Grumman [NOC] delivered a Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Air Force Feb. 14, at least six weeks ahead of schedule, according to a company statement.
This is the second aircraft delivered as part of Global Hawk’s Lot 10 contract, joining a Block 30 system delivered four months early in November. Two additional aircraft, a final Block 30 and Block 40, will arrive later this year, completing Global Hawk’s Lot 10 contract. The Block 30 is destined for Beale AFB, Calif., while the Block 40 will be delivered to Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
A total of 42 Global Hawks are currently in use around the world with 32 in the Air Force inventory. A contract for three more aircraft (Lot 11), the final planned delivery of Air Force Global Hawk UAVs, is expected this summer. Northrop Grumman said Lot 11 will likely include three additional Block 30s in late 2016 and 2017, for a total of 21 for the Air Force.
The Air Force on May 18, 2010, awarded Northrop Grumman a $303.3 million contract for two Block 30s, two Block 40s and related sustainment efforts.
The primary difference between the Block 30 and Block 40 is in the payload, the company said. Block 30 is designed to have a multi-intelligence intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability to take pictures and detect and process emitters simultaneously. It has a large electro-optical camera, primarily for still images, imaging radar for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products and an advanced signals intelligence payload (ASIP).
The Block 40 aircraft has the unique capability to monitor large areas in all weather with the Mulit-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor, which is an advanced air-to-surface radar for wide area surveillance of fixed and moving targets. MP-RTIP provides situational awareness and targeting information for warfighters.