GLOBAL HAWK DEVELOPMENT/FIELDING

Abstract

The Global Hawk System provides high altitude, deep look, long endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability that compliments space and other airborne collectors during peacetime, crisis, and war-fighting scenarios. This funding procures the highly capable Global Hawk System, which is comprised of aircraft, payloads, ground segment, and support segment. The aircraft is an autonomous, high altitude, long endurance, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The RQ-4A is an imagery-intelligence (IMINT) RPA designed to employ 2000 pounds of payload. The RQ-4A has one configuration known as the Block 10. The Block 10 employs an IMINT system comprised of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor and an electro-optical (EO) / infrared (IR) sensor. These three sensors are called the integrated sensor suite (ISS). The RQ-4B RPA is designed to employ 3000 pounds of payload and enable multi-intelligence (multi-INT) collecting. The RQ-4B has three configurations: Block 20, Block 30, and Block 40. The Block 20 will employ upgraded SAR and EO/IR sensors known as the Enhanced ISS (EISS) in an IMINT only configuration. The Block 30 will employ the same EISS sensors as the Block 20 and will also integrate a wide spectrum signals intelligence (SIGINT) sensor called the Airborne Signals Intelligence Program (ASIP) sensor used simultaneously to create a multi-INT platform. The Block 40 will only integrate the multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP) radar sensor. The user will ultimately determine the optimal mix of quantities and payloads for each aircraft configuration based on operational requirements. The ground station (GS) includes the mission control element (MCE) and the launch and recovery element (LRE). The support segment includes aerospace ground equipment, tech orders, spares, support equipment, and training to enable operation of the Global Hawk System. The Global Hawk program went through a Title 10, Section 2433 review in 2006, due to a unit cost breach (informally known as Nunn-McCurdy breach). The Department certified the program to Congress on June 5th, 2006. As a result of the review, the Department directed a program restructure to slow development and cap the low rate initial production (LRIP) at 5 per year to reduce risk. LRIP will remain at 5 per year or less until successful completion of the initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). When judged feasible and affordable, this program will participate in the development, testing, and implementation of international standards (to include NATO standardization agreements) to enhance joint, allied, and coalition interoperability. The MP-RTIP was established to develop a family of modular, scalable next generation sensors for multiple platforms to support network centric operations with integrated Command and Control Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) capability. Future MP-RTIP studies/development insertion-- includes concept exploration, program definition/risk reduction, sensor technology insertion/development. Funds continued support improvement and implementation of C2ISR capabilities enabling the joint air and missile defense architecture joint decisive operations and the AEF Task Force CONOPS. Conducts limited risk reduction activities on Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) Mission Execution and BMC2 Kill Chain, and MP-RTIP Wide Area Surveillance (WAS) Radar Hardware Verification. MP-RTIP will also support NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) conceptual design and early development activities under the Global Hawk PE. Starting in FY 2011, studies are planned to develop integration and installation requirements in order to integrate a Wideband SATCOM terminal on Global Hawk. This program is budget activity 7, Operational Systems Development, because it utilizes Air Force R&D to develop a highly capable operational system.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2011
• Source ID: 0305220F_7_3600_PB_2011
• Change Summary Explanation: FY09: $31.5M was reprogrammed to support Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) in FY09.
• Service Agency Name: Air Force

Entities

Organizations

• United States Air Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Sensors
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Airborne
• Aircrafts
• Altitude
• Command And Control
• Cost Analysis
• Costs
• Data Links
• Detectors
• Ground Stations
• High Altitude
• Imagery Intelligence
• Signals Intelligence
• Surveillance
• Synthetic Aperture Radar
• Test And Evaluation

Readers

• Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• 5G
• 5G - DoD 5G Program
• 5G - Internet of Things
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space
• Space - Satellites
• Space - Space Objects