The Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance aircraft and designed by Ryan but later manufactured by Northrop Grumman. Designated RQ-4, the unmanned aircraft provides a broad overview and systematic surveillance using high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and long-range electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors with long loiter times over target areas. It can survey as much as 40,000 square miles (100,000 km2) of terrain a day. The Global Hawk took its first flight on 28 February 1998 and was first operated by the United States Air Force and U.S. Navy. Several blocks were manufactured, with updated systems and modifications like the RQ-4, RQ-4B, RQ-4N. The type was used in Afghanistan, Iraq and numerous unknown theatres.
Also, Germany has purchased the Global Hawk , known as EuroHawk in 2012.
Photographed 2007 at Nellis AFB by Cees Hendriks (C) Copyright!
For scale modellers, in 1/72 Italeri and Platz have issued kits.