US RQ-4 RangeHawk aircraft to support Department of Defense SkyRange mission

News, US August 26, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. RQ-4 RangeHawk aircraft would support the Department of Defense SkyRange program for hypersonic missile flight tests from the Grand Sky facility in North Dakota.

According to the American defense manufacturer Northrop Grumman’s statement, Block 20 and 30 RQ-4B Global Hawk aircraft are being transferred to the U.S. Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) to be reconfigured into RangeHawks.

SkyRange is the Defense Department’s TRMC unmanned high-altitude, long-endurance, responsive mobile flight test system. The reconfiguration of the aircraft will integrate advanced payloads to equip it with the capability to support the testing of hypersonic vehicles and other long-range weapons.

“RangeHawks provide over-the-horizon altitude, endurance and flexibility, which are critical for collecting telemetry and other data to monitor the vehicle during flight tests. Increasing the capacity of hypersonic vehicle testing furthers research and development necessary to remain competitive in the global landscape,” Northrop Grumman’s statement highlighted.

Vice president and general manager of global surveillance at Northrop Grumman Jane Bishop stated that “Our RQ-4 RangeHawks will support the emerging class of hypersonic weapons and provide a combination of range, endurance and payload capacity.

“These aircraft will continue their role in vital national security missions while enabling us to bring premier aircraft design, modification, operations and sustainment work to the Grand Forks community,” Jane Bishop added.

Northrop Grumman RangeHawks are capable of performing ship-based sensor test missions with fewer assets, reducing cost and complexity. The RangeHawk aircraft are also equipped with sensors to demonstrate an alternative data-collection support system to test hypersonic systems.

The aircraft have previously been used in several hypersonic test events in the Pacific and other locations.

Acting director and principal deputy at TRMC George Rumford delivers comments during SkyRange fleet expansion ceremony — *^{Acting director and principal deputy at TRMC George Rumford delivers comments during the SkyRange fleet expansion ceremony. (Image Credit: Northrop Grumman)}*

Acting director and principal deputy at TRMC, George Rumford said “SkyRange will enable the Department of Defense to accelerate our pace of testing hypersonic systems. Northrop Grumman’s RangeHawk is ideally suited to collect data by providing persistent time-on-station positioned closer to flight path and agility to adapt to the dynamics of a testing environment – a force multiplier as we evolve critical national security capabilities.”

The U.S. defense corporation Northrop Grumman is integrating new payloads for the future RQ-4B RangeHawk fleet and managing operations and sustainment of the RQ-4A RangeHawk prototype fleet in close collaboration with NASA at Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.