Posted on 02/21/2006 3:03:17 PM PST by SandRat
/20/2006 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- After supporting the global war on terror for three years, Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle No. 3 (UAV-3) received its official homecoming Feb. 20 when its wheels touched down at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
During its overseas deployment, UAV-3 logged more than 4,800 flight hours supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the Combined Task Force --Horn of Africa.
On hand at the homecoming event were Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, commander, Air Force Flight Test Center; Randy Brown, director, Global Hawk Systems Group; Gary Ervin, sector vice president, Northrop-Grumman Integrated Systems Western region and Maj. Mike Lyons, Global Hawk pilot and chief of standardization and evaluation, 12th Reconnaissance Squadron.
The Global Hawk program is managed by Aeronautical Systems Center’s Global Hawk Systems Group of the Reconnaissance Systems Wing here.
Global Hawk UAV-3 was deployed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Air Force decision to deploy it while still an advanced concept technology demonstrator expressed the confidence the Air Force has in it and future unmanned aircraft systems for the global war on terrorism, Global Hawk officials said.
Its capabilities were proven in combat environments while still in the pre-production stage of the acquisition cycle. While deployed, UAV-3 flew 249 total sorties -- 191 were combat sorties. It provided tens of thousands of battlefield images to military decision-makers.
“We’ve seen an incredible transformation with unmanned vehicles, especially with Global Hawk,” Mr. Brown said. “We’re learning a lot about how we can build things better and smarter, but more importantly, we’ve learned how we can get capability into the warfighter’s hands much quicker than we would traditionally.
“This system and this team has been the key to us being able to rethink how we deliver capabilities to those who really need it to support the global war on terror, and it is a major milestone in the program and one that is historical for the future of U.S. Air Force reconnaissance,” Mr. Brown said.
According to program officials, the success of this program has been a team effort, evolving from the drawing board concepts to actual unmanned flight in combat environments.
“Northrop Grumman is committed to supporting the Air Force to provide persistent surveillance to help protect the men and women in uniform,” Mr. Ervin said. “Global Hawk provides a revolutionary high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance capability.”
“Global Hawk’s all-weather imaging capability has truly pulled back the veil of protection once offered by darkness and poor weather and tied that capability to a platform that can remain on task for nearly a full day,” Major Lyons said.
“This synergy of capabilities is a true revolution in the reconnaissance arena,” he said. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with the many civilian contractors and military professionals that form the Global Hawk team. Without the daily efforts of literally dozens of people, this system would not continue to operate.”
“We are very proud of this program. Mostly, though, it’s not about the airframe; it’s about the people who designed, built, tested, acquired, (operated) and maintained this airframe both during test and at war,” General Bedke said.
“It doesn’t matter whether they’re contractors, Air Force civilians or Air Force military. It doesn’t matter if they’re test pilots, test engineers or other aircrew. They are all part of what we call the Global Vigilance Combined Test Force,” he said. “We have the good fortune of living and working at a place that cherishes its history, its heritage and its heroes. That heritage and history now includes Global Hawk Air UAV-3, and its heroes include all of the people who assured it could do its mission and continue to test at the same time.”
(Editor’s note: 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs and Air Force Flight Test Center, both located at Edwards Air Force Base, contributed to this release.)
GLOBAL HAWK UAV!
That's kind of strange honoring a robot like that.
I understand the the operators have a great sense of achievement, but it just sends shivvers down my spine. There is no-one in the non-existent cockpit of that AC. And still they dump water on it.
Just weird...
/johnny
HAWWWKKKKAAAAA!
I have seen the future, and pilots aren't in it!
Am I correct, this thing flew all of teh way home from Iraq non-stop and by remote control? Spooky and amazing . . . .
Only to find that its wife had run off with a Predator.
I don't see anyone "manning" the firetrucks. Maybe those are robots too.
Now, that was good.
4800 hours.
Anybody care to guess how many years (decades ?) it would take a human pilot to log that many hours?
I couldn't even guess, but 2000 hours is a huge milestone of a fighter pilot.
now thats funny.
Took me almost three years to get 1000 hours in a jet(pilot time). I have more flight hours than any pilot in my squadron including XO and CO at 2800 hours(pilot time).
Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 116 feet (35.3 meters) and is 44 feet (13.4 meters) long, can range as far as 12,000 nautical miles, at altitudes up to 65,000 feet (19,812 meters), flying at speeds approaching 340 knots (about 400 mph) for as long as 35 hours. During a typical mission, the aircraft can fly 1,200 miles to an area of interest and remain on station for 24 hours. Its cloud-penetrating, Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator, electro-optical and infrared sensors can image an area the size of Illinois (40,000 nautical square miles) in just 24 hours. Through satellite and ground systems, the imagery can be relayed in near-real-time to battlefield commanders.
When fully-fueled for flight, Global Hawk weighs approximately 25,600 pounds (11,612 kilograms). More than half the UAV's components are constructed of lightweight, high-strength composite materials, including its wings, wing fairings, empennage, engine cover, engine intake and three radomes. Its main fuselage is standard aluminum, semi-monocoque construction.
The principal contractors for Global Hawk are:
Northrop Grumman's Ryan Aeronautical Center, San Diego, Calif. -- prime contractor
Raytheon Systems Company units at Falls Church, Va., and El Segundo, Calif. -- ground segment and sensors
Rolls-Royce Allison, Indianapolis, Ind. -- turbofan engine
Vought Aircraft Company, Dallas, Texas. -- carbon-fiber wing
L3 Com, Salt Lake City, Utah -- communications systems
Global Hawk is one of two UAVs currently under development and acquisition by ASC. The second UAV is Predator, a medium-altitude (25,000 feet) vehicle used by U.S. forces in Bosnia and Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, Yugoslavia and is also supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The Predator has entered the formal Air Force defense acquisition process.
Wow.
What's the average mission time for a P3?
Don't worry, they're focused on replacing the bomber pilots right now ;)
"Only to find it's wife had run off with a Predator"
Quite possibly the funniest comment yet, on this thread.
BTTT
"I have seen the future, and pilots aren't in it!"
Neither will conventional soldiers. Funny thing though, who way back in the early 20th century would've thought we'd have automated planes before automated robotic humanoids?
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