NORTHROP TO BUILD FIVE MORE GLOBAL HAWK JETS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $60 million contract to begin production of the next five RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, an aircraft the company assembles at Air Force Plant 42.

The contract will allow the company to start purchasing parts for the aircraft, including the intelligence-gathering electronic equipment, one set of mission control equipment, and one set of launch-and-recovery equipment. Production of the hardware for these five new RQ-4B air vehicles is expected to begin late this year, with assembly starting next year, the company announced.

``This contract demonstrates the commitment and continued confidence that the Air Force has in Global Hawk's capabilities and operational performance, and the need for this unique intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system,'' said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman's Air Force Global Hawk program manager.

The ``B'' model aircraft are larger versions of the RQ-4A aircraft that are already in service. The B models are designed to carry 3,000 pounds of equipment, compared with 2,000 pounds carried by the RQ-4As.

Northrop Grumman is already building five RQ-4B Global Hawks in Palmdale under previously awarded contracts. The first of those aircraft is scheduled to begin testing in mid- to late 2006.

The Global Hawk program has logged 225 combat missions, totaling more than 4,900 hours in support of the War on Terror. Those missions included providing about 55 percent of the images of military targets during the initial Iraq campaign by American troops and their allies in 2003.

Although the computer-guided aircraft remains in a development stage, the 9-11 terrorist attacks of 2001 prompted the Pentagon to press the plane into service to provide high- resolution images of potential targets.

The Navy is also interested in Global Hawk aircraft and has bought two ``A'' model airplanes for testing. Last month, the Navy flew one of the aircraft over the Pacific Ocean to test its ability to detect and track small aircraft in flight.

After initial testing on the West Coast, the Navy's Global Hawks will be ferried this winter to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for additional testing.

Controlled by onboard computers, the Global Hawk is 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, a Global Hawk can cover 40,000 square miles.

The Global Hawk aircraft are being built by a small cadre of Northrop Grumman workers in Palmdale. Although employment numbers on the program are small, Antelope Valley officials soliciting other programs point to the Global Hawk as an example of the region's technical know-how.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com