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United States Northrop Grumman
RQ-4 Global Hawk
A high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft providing wide-area, near-real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for US and allied forces. It flies missions comparable in altitude and range to manned strategic reconnaissance aircraft, but without a pilot aboard.
In service since 2001 · 3 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
629
km/h
22,780
km range
18,288
m ceiling
0
kg payload
💲 ≈ $140,000,000 — Approximate US Air Force unit flyaway cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 3 operators
In service since 2001. Status: active · ~45 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$350M – $490M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~20 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 629 km/h Top 10% of UAVs
- Cruise speed
Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.
- 575 km/h Top 4% of UAVs
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 22,780 km Top 1% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 18,288 m Top 1% of UAVs
- Endurance
Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms — higher means longer persistent coverage.
- 34 h Stronger than 88% of UAVs
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 0 Bottom 2% of UAVs
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 0 kg Bottom 2% of UAVs
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 14.5 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 39.9 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 6,781 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 14,628 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 0
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Rolls-Royce AE 3007H turbofan
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 1
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 34 kN
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- AN/ZPY-2 MP-RTIP AESA radar, electro-optical/infrared sensor, signals intelligence payload
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Ku-band SATCOM, UHF SATCOM, LOS datalink
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $140,000,000 Bottom 9% of UAVs
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 45 Stronger than 13% of UAVs
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 3 Stronger than 47% of UAVs
Specifications compiled from public Northrop Grumman and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has a maximum speed of 629 km/h.
What is the range of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has a maximum range of 22,780 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk can carry up to 0 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk weigh? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has a combat weight of 14,628 kg.
How many crew does the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk require? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk use? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is powered by the Rolls-Royce AE 3007H turbofan.
What is the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk used for? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a uav / drone typically used for isr.
How many countries operate the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is operated by 3 countries.
How much does the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk cost? +
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk has an approximate unit cost of 140,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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