Northrop Completes Successful First Flight of Japan’s Second RQ-4B Global Hawk

Northrop Grumman announced the first flight of Japan's second RQ-4B Global Hawk high-altitude, remotely-piloted, surveillance aircraft.

Global Hawk is the only high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to deliver near real-time on demand data around the clock. Once fielded, Global Hawk will integrate with other Japanese intelligence assets, including ground-based command and control units. The capability will provide solutions to monitor and deter regional threats.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk 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.