From Global Hawk Image Gallery - Sensor Images Captured in Australia
dsto.defence.gov.au
This is an excellent site to get a feel for what the Global Hawk can do. Check out the USS kitty Hawk's image.
Note: This site may not stay up much longer.
HerbVic
recent press release:
dsto.defence.gov.au
Global Hawk set to break another record after a successful deployment
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Global Hawk is due to return to the United States today (Thursday 7 June) after a six week deployment in Australia and is set to break another world record.
Dr. Brendan Nelson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, said Global Hawk, renamed Southern Cross 11 for its Australian trip, is scheduled to depart from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Edinburgh near Adelaide at 3.45 pm (Adelaide time) for its flight to the United States.
Dr. Nelson described Global Hawk's deployment to Australia as a major success for all the project participants. He congratulated all those involved for their professional efforts in ensuring that the deployment achieved such an outstanding result.
He said the air vehicle made aviation history in April when it became the first unmanned aircraft to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean from Edwards Airforce Base in California to RAAF Base Edinburgh in a time of 23 hours 20 minutes.
"Global Hawk will create aviation history again during its return journey to become the first unmanned aircraft to fly non-stop from Australia to the United States west coast, Dr. Nelson added.
Global Hawk undertook 11 missions during its deployment to Australia.
Australian Global Hawk Deployment Commander, Wing Commander Brett Newell, said this was the first time the United States had operated the Global Hawk system jointly with another country.
Wing Commander Newell said RAAF and United States Air Force (USAF) crews operated the aircraft in a range of new scenarios including participation in the joint military exercise Tandem thrust and surveillance along Australia's coastline.
"Global Hawk flew over eastern, northern and north western Australia and its maritime approaches covering a total of 154,000 kilometres in over 250 hours of flight time.
Dr. Nelson said information gathered during the missions will allow the RAAF, Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), and the USAF to jointly assess the military utility of high altitude endurance UAVs to conduct maritime, littoral and land surveillance.
"DSTO assisted in developing new maritime and littoral surveillance capabilities that allowed Global Hawk to more efficiently search large areas to detect and classify maritime targets.
"Global Hawk had exercised these new capabilities during its Australian missions, and had undertaken specific activities representative of surveillance operations that could be undertaken in a future mature system," Dr Nelson said.
Global Hawk is scheduled to land at Edwards Air Force Base in California about 11.30 pm on Thursday 7 June (California time). |
