Yesterday’s crash has thrust the high-flying Global Hawk into the spotlight.
The Global Hawk has an 11,000 nautical mile range and can stay in the air for more than 32 hours.(Photo courtesy of NASA)While the aircraft’s height comes in at 15 feet, it’s wing span extends a whopping 116 feet.The Global Hawk’s fuselage is composed of aluminum, while its wing and V-tail are made mostly of graphite composites.(Photo courtesy of NASA)The drone is powered by one Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine, which puts out 7,500 pounds of thrust at sea level.(Photo courtesy of NASA)Crafted for high-altitude reconnaissance missions, the Global Hawk can reach altitudes up to 65,000 feet.(Photo courtesy of NASA)When delivered to military forces, the Global Hawk has a price tag of approximately $105 million, a number that can go up with aircraft modifications.(Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense)The Global Hawk was scheduled to replace the U-2 by 2015, but rising costs have derailed that plan.(Photo courtesy of Kevin Whitehead –** Jetwash Images**)The Global Hawk has served both in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has also been used at home by NASA for environmental science flights.The Pentagon announced earlier this year that the Air Force’s Global Hawk program is on the chopping block, but that the Navy’s program will likely continue.(Photo courtesy of Chris Heaton)With yesterday’s crash, the Navy’s fleet of Global Hawks is now down to four aircraft.The crash comes at a particularly bad time, as Northrop Grumman was expected to unveil its maritime version of the Global Hawk this week.The crash also renews concerns about the safety of unmanned drones and the potential dangers poised by integrating them into civilian airspace.Congress is scheduled to open the U.S. skies to drones in three years, a timetable particularly alarming to pilots throughout the country.(Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense)Read more about the recent Global Hawk crash here.(Photo courtesy of NASA)
