SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. company Northrop Grumman announced it has achieved a milestone with its RQ-4 Global Hawk following the completion of 25,000 combat hours of operation.
Northrop Grumman says its RQ-4 Global Hawk, a widely deployed unmanned aircraft system by the U.S. military, recently surpassed 25,000 combat hours of operation supporting Overseas Contingency Operations along with other missions.
The RQ-4 Global Hawk is designed to provide U.S. troops with advance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support in operational theaters like Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is a significant program achievement, accounting for more than 76 percent of the aircraft's 32,500 cumulative flight hours for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy," George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude, long-endurance systems, said in a statement.
"We have been flying Global Hawks more effectively than any other deployed system and our production team continues to perform exceptionally well, with the 26th production air vehicle in final assembly."
