Second Global Hawk No. 2 flight test successful

Second Global Hawk No. 2 flight test successful

Released: 14 Dec 1998

by Sue Baker
Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- An unmanned aerial vehicle being developed by the Aeronautical Systems Center here soared to 50,000 feet and checked wideband communication links during the program's eighth successful test flight.

Global Hawk No. 2 met all test objectives during its second flight Dec. 4 at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

"The most significant accomplishment on this mission was the demonstration of wideband communications between the air vehicle and the ground station," said Col. Pat Bolibrzuch, Air Force program manager. "We confirmed the system's ability to send imagery data to the warfighter on the ground. This is another first step, and will help pave the way as we enter sensor flight testing in a couple of weeks."

Global Hawk No. 2 flew for the first time Nov. 20, remained airborne for 3.1 hours and reached 50,000 feet in altitude. It and Global Hawk No. 1 -- which has made six flights in l998 - are each designed to demonstrate the airworthiness of the UAV.

"For Global Hawk No. 1, we've accomplished many milestones during this flight test program," Bolibrzuch said. "We've gone from contract award to first flight in only 32 months and demonstrated safe, controllable, autonomous operations, including automated takeoff, climb, cruise, descent and landing.

"Global Hawk No. 1 has flown in limited civilian and expanded military airspace, and shown that its command and control functions can be handed off from the launch and recovery element at Edwards to the mission control element at the Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical prime contractor facility in San Diego.

"During 30 hours of accumulated test flights, we've also demonstrated that we can override Global Hawk's airspeed, altitude and heading, and flight-control spoilers," Bolibrzuch said. "We've shown that Global Hawk can return to home base automatically if its command link is severed, manage a 'go-around' from missed landing approach, and take off -- fully loaded with 14,000 pounds of JP-8 fuel -- only 3,500 feet down the runway."

Future test goals for the second Global Hawk include two flights now scheduled for late December and mid-January, to check operation of an integrated-sensor suite. Both vehicles will be used to characterize ISS electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar functions and survivability, beginning with three flights -- two for vehicle No. 1, and one for vehicle No. 2, in late January and February.

Manufactured by Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical, Global Hawk -- with a wingspan of 116 feet -- will provide battlespace commanders near-real-time intelligence imagery from high altitudes for long periods of time, using SAR, moving target indicator, EO and infrared sensor systems.

The data gathered by Global Hawk will be relayed to decision-makers via world-wide satellite communication links to its ground segment.

A typical reconnaissance mission for Global Hawk might involve operating at a range of 12,500 nautical miles, at altitudes up to 65,000 feet for 38 to 42 hours. Capable of flying 3,000 miles to an area of reconnaissance interest, Global Hawk could then survey an area the size of Illinois (40,000 square nautical miles) for 24 hours, relaying intelligence data via ground and airborne links -- and return 3,000 miles to its operating base.

Following the end of Global Hawk's flight testing program in April, U.S. Atlantic Command and Air Combat Command will conduct a military utility assessment to determine how they might use UAVs in future operations.