RQ-4 Global Hawk: America’s Stratospheric ISR Drone
The RQ-4 Global Hawk is Northrop Grumman’s HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) reconnaissance UAV, operating at 20,000 m for 36 hours. Its SAR radar, EO/IR, and SIGINT suite scans over 100,000 km² per mission. Japan operates 13 and NATO AGS operates 5 aircraft.
Extending the Sea Horizon
Surface radars are blind to low-flying threats below the horizon. Global Hawk scans 550+ km from 20,000 m, extending the fleet’s horizon and feeding Aegis or SAMP/T batteries with targeting data.
SIGINT and SAR Combination
SAR radar penetrates clouds and darkness to produce high-resolution imagery. The SIGINT module detects and maps electronic signals. Two independent intelligence streams from a single flight.
Teknik Özellikler
| Özellik | Değer |
|---|---|
| Type | HALE strategic ISR UAV |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce AE 3007H |
| Service Ceiling | 20,000 m |
| Endurance | 36 hours |
| Sensors | SAR + EO/IR + SIGINT |
| Range | 22,780 km |
| Payload | ~900 kg |
| Wingspan | 39.9 m |
Kullanıcı Ülkeler
| Ülke | Detay |
|---|---|
| USA | Block 30/40/50 — global ISR |
| Japan | 13 Block 30 |
| NATO AGS | 5 aircraft, Sigonella |
| South Korea | 4 Block 30 |
| Australia | MQ-4C Triton contract |
Türk Muadili
Turkey has no operational HALE-class UAV. TUSAŞ Aksungur is MALE-class and cannot reach Global Hawk’s altitude or endurance. The TUSAŞ AKBABA program is in early development.
