The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft with an integrated sensor suite that provides global all-weather, day or night intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
Northrop Grumman’s GLOBAL HAWK is one of, if not the world’s premier surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aircraft system—and the Air Force’s go-to eye in the sky.
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In the RQ-4 name, the “R” is the Department of Defense designation for Reconnaissance and “Q” means unmanned aircraft system. The “4” refers to the series of purpose-built remotely piloted aircraft systems.