Posted on 01/01/2002 8:38:13 AM PST by Enlightiator
12/31/01 - MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- A U.S. Air Force RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle on a routine mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom crashed while returning to base in the U.S. Central Command theater of operations at approximately 3:30 a.m. EST on Dec. 30.
RELATED LINKS
Global Hawk Fact Sheet
The crash was not the result of enemy fire and the aircraft will be recovered, officials said.
The Global Hawk is an unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance system designed to provide military commanders with high resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas.
Monday December 31, 11:07 am Eastern Time
U.S. Global Hawk drone crashes after Afghan duty
WASHINGTON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance vehicle crashed while returning to its base at an undisclosed location in or around Afghanistan, the U.S. Central Command said on Monday.
The crash on Sunday was not the result of enemy fire and the aircraft, built by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC - news), will be recovered, said the command, which is running the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.
It said the drone had been on a routine mission as part of the U.S. military drive to crush Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and its suriving Taliban hosts in Afghanistan.
The aircraft crashed en route back to its base ``in the Central Command theater of operations'' at about 3:30 a.m. Eastern time Sunday (0830 GMT), the command said.
No other details were immediately available. The Global Hawk is an experimental drone pressed into service to give U.S. military commanders sharp imagery of large parts of the battlefield in near real-time.
That is a true statement.
According to this article, that leaves us with one more over there.
The software successfully ejected.
So9
But if it was running Windoze, we might not be out of the woods yet.
Maybe the Russians or Chinese are testing weapons or counter weapons in Afghanistan as well...
prisoner6
The Predators, which have been crash prone for years, are usually remotely piloted... I believe the Hunters can be flown via satellite, like the Global Hawk, but thats still in development...
The real rush job was the Predators with hellfires... the military is still doing testing of UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicles as opposed to UAVs which are for recon)... the news reports indicate that the CIA drove the train for that development to be sped up...
Type
High-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system
Ferry Range
13,500 nautical miles
Maximum Altitude,
65,000+ feet
Takeoff Gross Weight
25,600 pounds
Payload
2,000 pounds
The RQ-4A Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with high resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas.
Advanced technology sensors, a range greater than half-way around the world, and the ability to remain in flight for long periods of time, enables the Global Hawk to provide the war fighter with the essential intelligence needed to achieve information dominance throughout the ever-changing battle-space.
The aircraft's 13,500 nautical mile range and 36 hours of endurance, combined with satellite and line-of- sight communication links to the ground segment, permit worldwide operation of the system. High- resolution sensors, which can look through adverse weather (day or night), from an altitude of 65,000 feet, can conduct surveillance over an area the size of Illinois in just 24 hours.
The superior performance of the Global Hawk system will significantly enhance the U.S. military's ability to prevail in all types of operations, from sensitive peacekeeping missions to full-scale combat. The program is managed by the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Thats impressive. Now if they can just keep them from crashing.
Happy New Year
And just think of the future pilot pool in Play Station Academy already :o)
Stay Safe !
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