FLIGHT

Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4B
Global Hawk unmanned air
vehicle could evolve into a “reconfigurable
sensor-transporter”
capable of carrying a variety of
payloads weighing up to 544kg
(1,200lb) under a modification
programme currently being assessed
by the US Air Force.
The service has concluded
that by making various hardware
and software changes and adding
17 payload-attachment fittings to
the fuselage floor, the Global
Hawk could carry additional
surveillance and reconnaissance
sensors, including those currently
flown on the manned Lockheed
Martin U-2 Dragon Lady.
“It is feasible to adapt the U-2’s
Senior Year Electro-Optical
Reconnaissance System-2B/C
(SYERS-2B/C) and the Optical
LRS-B battles
nuclear funding
threat
DEFENCE P19
The Global Hawk could carry up to 544kg of sensors
MODIFICATION JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC
Global Hawk’s sensor worth
In-development “payload adaptor” could enable RQ-4B to take on formerly manned tasks
Bar Camera (OBC) onto the
RQ-4B,” the air force says in a recent
report to Congress. “The
study also shows that it is feasible
to adapt the more modern alternative
to SYERS, the MS-177,
onto the RQ-4B.”
ONGOING DEBATE
The United Technologies-built
sensors are at the centre of a
long-running debate over whether
to retire the U-2 or Global
Hawk to cut costs, or keep both.
Northrop has long said that with
some modifications and the
installation of a “universal payload
adaptor”, the unmanned aircraft
can carry and operate the
sensors just as effectively as the
manned alternative.
Despite reports to the contrary,
the air force says there should be
“negligible differences” in the performance
of the sensors aboard
the Global Hawk compared with
the U-2, and likewise for the MS-
177 that is carried on the Northrop
E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack
Radar System.
In 2013, the service estimated
it would cost $487 million and
take five years to modify its Block
30 Global Hawk fleet to carry
OBC and SYERS, but Northrop
has since offered to modify six
airframes for $48 million. A second
report containing the latest
cost and schedule estimates is
due out shortly.
The air force has not decided
whether it will pursue the modification,
but Northrop has asked
for government-furnished sensors
to demonstrate its payload
adaptor design. ■
US Air Force
DEFENCE
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Crowd-funding
sought for new
Ukrainian UAV
crowd-funding campaign to
A bring an indigenous Ukrainian
military unmanned air vehicle
into operation to monitor “enemy
movement and locations” is nearing
its target.
Through the People’s Project
site – a venture that aims to provide
support to Ukrainian armed
forces in times of political and
military crisis – the “First People’s
UAV Complex” project has
been established. It is raising
money for what it has dubbed the
“People’s Drone” – or PD-1.
It has set a target of 764,870
Ukrainian hryvnya (UAH)
($36,400), and had, by 1 July,
raised almost 85% of the total.
“Our system is designed so the
UAV, in the case of signal jamming,
goes into a completely autonomous
flight mode and returns
to base on its own,” the
campaign says.
It is fitted with an inertial navigation
system, which uses builtin
position sensors to track the
direction of the aircraft and its
current location relative to its
start point.
PD-1 features a gimballed gyrostabilised
electro-optical and infrared
zoom payload that is designed
to be able to transmit and
record video. It has an endurance
of some 5h. A first flight was performed
in March 2015. ■
DELIVERY GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
Initial RAAF Spartan arrives to succeed Caribous
The first of 10 Alenia Aermacchi
C-27J Spartan tactical
transports for the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) has arrived
at its initial operating base.
Aircraft A34-001 arrived at
RAAF base Richmond in New
South Wales on 25 June. This will
be the type’s temporary home until
its permanent location at Amberley
in Queensland is complete.
In May 2012, Australia placed
an order for 10 C-27Js through the
The fleet will comprise 10 C-27Js
foreign military sales programme.
Initial operational capability for
the type is planned for late 2016
with full operational capability
envisaged some two years later.
The RAAF’s second, third, and
fourth examples are in Waco,
Texas, where L-3 converts green
aircraft to the Joint Cargo Aircraft
configuration and conducts crew
and maintenance training.
The work takes three months,
and involves the fitting of an electronic
warfare and infrared countermeasures
suite, US-standard
communications equipment and
ballistic protection around the
Commonwealth of Australia
cockpit and loadmaster’s station.
The C-27J – to be operated by
the RAAF’s 35 Sqn – succeeds
the de Havilland Canada DHC-4
Caribou aircraft under the nation’s
Air 8000 Phase 2 requirement.
Although popular with the
RAAF, the obsoles cent Caribou
was retired in 2009.
One concern with the Caribou
had been its inability to operate
in all but the most permissible
airspace. ■
flightglobal.com
7-13 July 2015 | Flight International | 17