Airshow at Edwards AFB

RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV

With the F-35 project underway as of 2001, some feel this will be the last "manned" fighter aircraft to be built by the USA. Future military aircraft will be unmanned and be controlled by ground-based crews or even on-board computers. Various designs of unmanned aircraft have been in development since the 1990's and two sites south of Edwards AFB, between the cities of Palmdale and Victorville, are building and test flying such aircraft. One of these aircraft was used successfully in 2002 to attack a terrorist group in the Middle East.

Enter the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or UAV. It is the first all-purpose UAV aircraft designed to be manufactured in mass like other military aircraft. Built by Northrop Grumman and several other well-known aviation sub-contractors, this robotic aircraft was designed to be both a high-altitude reconnaissance (spy) plane and an attack aircraft. With the new "Global War on Terrorism", the duties of this UAV have been focused on the surveillance of problem areas around the world. It has completed over 50 missions in the Operation Iraqi Freedom conflict.

Similar to the U-2, the Global Hawk has very long wings used for flying at high altitudes up to 65,000 feet (19,800 m). It can cruise at around 400 mph (640 kph) for about 35 hours non-stop. In 2001, it broke a distance record by flying non-stop from Edwards AFB to southern Australia. The Global Hawk is equipped with high-resolution sensors that can not only see day or night but through cloudy weather and can perform a detailed search of an area the size of Illinois in just 24 hours.

There have always been many unusual aircraft parked in the hangers at the Edwards AFB Air Shows as static displays but, over the years, an increasing number of them have been different types of UAV's. This is a clear indication that these unmanned-type aircraft are, indeed, the future of military airpower. To see more pictures of these unusual aircraft, click here.

	The Global Hawk has to be positioned in the middle of this hanger because its long wings takes up so much space.
	A better view of Global Hawk's extensive wings.
	Close-up view of the plane's starboard wing.
	Side view of the Global Hawk.
	This front view of Global Hawk shows off its "V" tail configuration, its single engine that is mounted above the rear of the fuselage and its white, dome-shaped, computerized cockpit.
	Billboard outlining the details of the Global Hawk.