U.S. uses giant RQ-4 Global Hawk drone worth more than $200 million in hypersonic weapons tests

The United States plans to use the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone to test hypersonic missiles and long-range weapons.

Here's What We Know

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a giant unmanned aerial vehicle used by the U.S. Air Force. It has a wingspan of almost 40 m, which is about twice the size of the MQ-9 Reaper. The drone is equipped with a Rolls-Royce F-137 engine, has a range of 22,800 km and 34 hours of battery life.

Northrop Grumman will equip the drone with components to carry hypersonic missiles. When the U.S. Air Force will start testing the weapon is still unknown. But it will definitely happen within 5 years, as the UAV's service life ends in 2027. The RQ-4 Global Hawk under the SkyRange program will be equipped with special sensors that will provide an alternative data collection support system. It has previously been tested in the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere.

Recall that Global Hawk made its first flight in the winter of 1998. Operation of the drone began 6 years later. Almost $14 billion was spent to create the RQ-4 Global Hawk program. The cost of a single drone is more than $200 million.

Source: Northrop Grumman

Image: Interesting Engineering

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