HAWKS LOG 1,000 COMBAT HOURS.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- The first two production RQ-4A Global Hawk robot spyplanes have logged more than 1,000 combat hours supporting coalition forces in the Middle East since their deployment in January, Northrop Grumman officials said.

The two unmanned reconnaissance aircraft have flown about 50 missions since going overseas to replace the prototype Global Hawk that had been pressed into combat duty following the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The production aircrafts' sensors have been improved over the early planes, Northrop Grumman officials said.

``Our No. 1 goal is to support the persistent intelligence collection needs of the warfighter,'' said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman program director for Global Hawk. ``The system is quickly proving to be an even more valuable reconnaissance asset than the originally deployed assets.''

Global Hawks have now flown more than 6,000 hours and 260 missions in support of the global War on Terror, and the family of Global Hawk aircraft has accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours over all missions, Northrop Grumman officials said.

``Reaching 10,000 program hours is truly an amazing feat, especially since the program was first put on contract just over 10 years ago and has only been flying since February 1998,'' said Jerry Madigan, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude, long endurance systems.

Global Hawk aircraft are capable of flying at an altitude of 65,000 feet, above storms and some six miles higher than jetliners normally fly, for more than 35 hours at a time. During a single mission, Global Hawk's sensors can survey 40,000 square miles.

The Global Hawk aircraft are primarily flown by onboard computers using preprogrammed instructions. The aircraft, however, can be flown by or have a preprogrammed mission adjusted by a ground operator who adjusts the plane's flight through clicks of a computer mouse rather than a joystick.

For missions, the initial taxiing and takeoff are performed by a ground crew based at the airfield being used by the aircraft. About an hour into the flight, control of the airplane's mission is handed off to a ground crew that can be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Missions over the Middle East were actually controlled by crews at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California.

Prior to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the Global Hawk program was in a technology demonstration phase in which a handful of aircraft were being built and tested to see whether it was possible to field a high-altitude, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

At Northrop Grumman's facilities at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, six larger ``B'' model aircraft are in various stages of production. The B models are designed to carry 3,000 pounds of equipment, compared with 2,000 pounds carried by the RQ-4As.

The first of the B model aircraft is scheduled to begin testing this summer or fall.

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) A GlobalHawk robot spyplane taxis along a runway at Edwards Air Force Base in this file photo.

Northrop Grumman