Northrop Grumman to Supply Three Global Hawk UAVs to Japan for $489M

Northrop Grumman has won $489 million contract for the supply of three RQ-4 Global Hawk block 30i air vehicles to Japan.

The contract includes enhanced integrated sensor suite payload for all the three air vehicles, two ground control elements, spares and support equipment, system engineering and program management tasks required to execute, manage, control, and report on all program activities, and a site survey, US Department of Defense said in a statement Monday.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a large High-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HUAV) used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. It has a wingspan of over 130 feet and has a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tons. The UAV has a range of over 12,000 miles and can stay in the air for more than 34 hours, allowing it to provide persistent coverage of large target areas.