U.S. Air Force Following the
September 11th attacks, the normal acquisition process was bypassed almost immediately and early developmental Global Hawk models were employed in overseas contingency operations beginning in November 2001. Global Hawk ACTD prototypes were used in the
War in Afghanistan and in the
Iraq War. Since April 2010, they fly the Northern Route, from
Beale Air Force Base over Canada to South-East Asia and back, reducing flight time and improving maintenance. While their data-collection capabilities have been praised, the program lost four prototype aircraft out of six or seven to accidents. The crashes were reported to be due to "technical failures or poor maintenance", with a failure rate per hour flown over 100 times higher than the
F-16 fighter. Northrop Grumman stated that it was unfair to compare the failure rates of a mature design to that of a prototype aircraft. In June 2012, a media report described the Global Hawk, the
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and the
MQ-9 Reapers "... the most accident-prone aircraft in the Air Force fleet." On 11 February 2010, the Global Hawks deployed in the Central Command AOR accrued 30,000 combat hours and 1,500 plus sorties. Initial operational capability was declared for the RQ-4 Block 30 in August 2011. Congress sought to keep it in service until December 2016. The USAF had 18 RQ-4 Block 30s by the time of the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which directed a further three RQ-4s to be procured as part of Lot 11. The USAF felt that additional aircraft were "excess to need" and likely become backup or attrition reserve models. Despite the potential retirement of the Block 30 fleet due to low reliability, low mission readiness, and high costs, the USAF released a pre-solicitation notice in September 2013 for Lot 12 aircraft. After the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, RQ-4s flew 300 hours over the affected areas in Japan. There were also plans to survey the No. 4 reactor at the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. By November 2012, Northrop Grumman had delivered 37 Global Hawks to the USAF. By March 2014, 42 Global Hawks were in use around the world, with 32 in use by the USAF. The USAF stated that U-2 pilot and altitude advantages allow better functionality in the stormy weather and airspace restrictions of the East Asia region and its altitude and sensor advantages allow it to see further into hostile territory. In October 2013, the U.S. secured basing rights to deploy RQ-4s from Japan, the first time that basing rights for the type had been secured in Northeast Asia. RQ-4s are stationed at
Andersen Air Force Base in
Guam, but bad weather often curtailed flights. Basing in Japan as opposed to Guam enhances spying capabilities against
North Korea by eliminating range as a factor. Two RQ-4s moved from Anderson AFB to
Misawa Air Base in mid-2014 in the type's first deployment to Japan. They were speculated to have focused on maritime patrol missions. The two RQ-4s successfully performed their missions from Misawa AB during a six-month deployment, with none cancelled due to poor weather. It was the first time that they had operated out of a civil-military airport, sharing airspace and runways with commercial aircraft safely without additional restrictions, usually taking off and landing during quieter periods of air traffic. Officials only stated that they had operated at "various places around the Pacific." On 19 September 2013, the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk conducted its first wartime flight from
Grand Forks Air Force Base. In November 2013, an USAF RQ-4 deployed to the Philippines after
Typhoon Haiyan to assist in relief efforts. It flew from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to relay imagery of afflicted areas to response personnel and ground commanders. In planning for the FY 2015 budget, the U-2 was to be retired in favor of the RQ-4, made possible by reductions of RQ-4 operating costs and would be the first time an uncrewed aircraft would completely replace a crewed aircraft. The U-2 will continue to fly through 2018 without replacement. In May 2014, a U.S. Global Hawk conducted a surveillance mission over Nigeria as part of the search for the
kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls. The Global Hawk joined
MC-12 crewed aircraft in the search. The Global Hawk was used in
Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The aircraft provided real-time imagery and signals intelligence to identify friendly and enemy forces, do long-term target development, and track enemy equipment movement, enabling combatant commanders to act on better information and make key decisions. The BACN version allowed ground troops to contact aircraft when they were in need of assistance, such as
close air support. On 1 April 2017, the EQ-4 program completed 1,000 continuous sorties, without incurring a single maintenance cancellation, while supporting OIR. On 4 April 2016, it was reported that a USAF Global Hawk had completed its third flight over Germany under an initiative (the European Reassurance Initiative) to reassure
NATO members concerned over the
Russo-Ukrainian war. Germany opened its airspace for up to five Global Hawk flights a month until the middle of October 2016. The
Naval Air Station Sigonella,
Sicily-based Global Hawk flies over Italian and French airspace and an air corridor through Germany with its sensors switched off on its way to its area of operations over the
Baltic Sea. In 2017, the USAF decided to begin the process of training enlisted airmen to fly the RQ-4 due to a shortage of pilots and an increased demand for the Global Hawk's capabilities. The RQ-4 is currently the only aircraft enlisted pilots are flying. On 16 August 2018, a Global Hawk, assigned to
12th Reconnaissance Squadron, took off from Beale AFB, California, and landed at
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska for
Red Flag – Alaska. This was the first time an RQ-4 had landed in
Alaska during a simulated combat training exercise. On 21 April 2021, a Global Hawk was reported to have made a reconnaissance flight in an airspace off the coast of southern
Crimea which Russia had temporarily closed up to from
Sevastopol to
Feodosiya, issuing a relevant
NOTAM. The Global Hawk reportedly departed from
Naval Air Station Sigonella in
Sicily. On 22 February 2022, a Global Hawk was reported to have made a reconnaissance flight over Southeastern
Ukraine coinciding with a NOTAM order by Ukrainian government and increased Russian military activity. The Global Hawk departed from Naval Air Station Sigonella on Sicily.
Records On 24 April 2001, a Global Hawk flew non-stop from
Edwards AFB to
RAAF Base Edinburgh in
Australia, making history by being the first pilotless aircraft to cross the
Pacific Ocean. The flight took 22 hours, and set a world record for absolute distance flown by a UAV, . On 22 March 2008, a Global Hawk set the endurance record for full-scale, operational uncrewed aircraft UAVs by flying for 33.1 hours at altitudes up to 60,000 feet over Edwards AFB. From its first flight in 1998 to 9 September 2013, the combined Global Hawk fleet flew 100,000 hours. 88 percent of flights were conducted by USAF RQ-4s, while the remaining hours were flown by
NASA Global Hawks, the EuroHawk, the Navy BAMS demonstrator, and the MQ-4C Triton. Approximately 75 percent of flights were in combat zones; RQ-4s flew in operations over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya; and supported disaster response efforts in Haiti, Japan, and California. From 10 to 16 September 2014, the RQ-4 fleet flew a total of 781 hours, the most hours flown by the type during a single week. 87 percent of flights were made by USAF RQ-4s, with the rest flown by the Navy BAMS-D and NASA hurricane research aircraft. The longest Global Hawk combat sortie lasted 32.5 hours. Iranian Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif said the drone was in Iranian airspace, while the United States maintained the drone was in
international airspace 18
nautical miles (34
km) away from Iran.
NASA In December 2007, two Global Hawks were transferred from the USAF to
NASA's
Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB. Initial research activities beginning in the second quarter of 2009 supported NASA's high-altitude, long-duration Earth science missions. Northrop Grumman is an operational partner with NASA and will use the aircraft to demonstrate new technologies and to develop new markets for the aircraft, including possible civilian uses. It was reported in the March 2010 issue of
Scientific American that NASA's Global Hawks were to begin scientific missions that month, and had been undergoing tests in late 2009. Initial science applications included measurements of the ozone layer and cross-Pacific transport of air pollutants and aerosols. The author of the Scientific American article speculates that it could be used for Antarctic exploration while being based in Chile. In August–September 2010, one of the two Global Hawks was loaned for NASA's GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Program) mission. Its long-term on station capabilities and long range made it a suitable aircraft for monitoring the development of Atlantic basin
hurricanes. It was modified to equip weather sensors including
Ku-band radar, lightning sensors and
dropsondes. It successfully flew into
Hurricane Earl off the United States East Coast on 2 September 2010.
NATO In 2009,
NATO announced it expected to have a fleet of up to eight Global Hawks by 2012 to be equipped with MP-RTIP radar systems. NATO had budgeted US$1.4 billion (€1 billion) for the project, and a letter of intent was signed. NATO signed a contract for five Block 40 Global Hawks in May 2012. 12 NATO members are participating in the purchase. On 10 January 2014,
Estonia revealed it wanted to participate in NATO Global Hawk usage. In July 2017, the USAF assigned the Mission Designation Series (MDS) of RQ-4D to the NATO AGS air vehicle. The first RQ-4D aircraft arrived at Sigonella Air Base on 21 November 2019. At that time, all five aircraft were undergoing developmental test flights. Initial operational capability was expected in the first half of 2020. In October 2018, Italy certified five of the drones for use in
Sigonella,
Sicily in 2020. However, by 23 December 2019, there were regulatory issues for the Global Hawks concerning shared space between
Germany and Italy. German government officials criticized the new drones for their lack of technology to avoid collisions with other aircraft.
South Korea In 2011,
South Korea's
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) expressed interest in acquiring at least four RQ-4Bs to increase intelligence capabilities following the exchange of the Wartime Operational Control from the U.S. to the Republic of Korea. Officials debated on the topic of the Global Hawks and domestic UAV programs. In September 2011, the US and South Korea discussed aircraft deployments near its land border to view North Korea and the
North Korea–China border. In January 2012, DAPA announced it would not proceed with a purchase due to a price rise from US$442M to US$899M, and that other platforms such as the
AeroVironment Global Observer or the
Boeing Phantom Eye were being investigated. However, in December 2012, South Korea notified Congress of a possible
Foreign Military Sale of 4 RQ-4 Block 30 (I) Global Hawks with the Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite (EISS) at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion (~$ in ). On 5 July 2013, the
Korean National Assembly advised the government to re-evaluate the RQ-4 purchase, again citing high costs. On 17 December 2014, Northrop Grumman was awarded a $657 million contract by South Korea for four RQ-4B Block 30 Global Hawks. The first RQ-4 arrived on 23 December 2019 at a base near
Sacheon. The second arrived on 19 April 2020, and the third by June. The fourth and final Global Hawk was delivered in September 2020.
Japan On 24 August 2013,
Japan announced the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force planned to operate one Global Hawk jointly with the U.S. by 2015. On 21 November 2014, the
Japanese Ministry of Defense officially decided to procure the Global Hawk instead of the General Atomics
Guardian ER; Japan has also been interested in the purchase of three aircraft. The first Japanese Global Hawk landed at
Misawa Air Base on 12 March 2022.
Potential operators Australia considered the purchase of a number of Global Hawks for maritime and land surveillance. The Global Hawk was to be assessed against the
General Atomics MQ-9 Mariner in trials in 2007. The Global Hawk aircraft would have operated in conjunction with crewed
Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, as a replacement of aging
Lockheed AP-3C Orion aircraft. In the end, the Australian government decided not to proceed and canceled the order. In 2012, a procurement effort for seven UAVs by 2019 was initiated. In May 2013 the Australian government confirmed its interest in acquiring the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance variant.
Canada has also been a potential customer, looking at the Global Hawk for maritime and land surveillance as either a replacement for its fleet of
Lockheed CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft or to supplement crewed patrols of remote Arctic and maritime environments, before withdrawing from the joint effort in August 2011.
Spain has a similar requirement, and has existing contacts with Northrop Grumman. The
New Zealand Defence Force is studying the Global Hawk, which has the range to conduct surveillance in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, and in the Pacific Islands. The acquisition process has not moved beyond an expression of interest. The
Indian Navy has expressed interest in acquiring six to eight MQ-4C Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft Systems. In September 2018,
Transport Canada was looking into buying a former German Air Force EuroHawk for surveillance missions in the Arctic. The EuroHawk cannot currently fly and has no equipment inside such as GPS and navigation tools. ==Variants==