A U.S. Air Force Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed near Mount Whitney in the Eastern Sierra Nevad...
A U.S. Air Force Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed near Mount Whitney in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range at approximately 1:45 p.m. PST today.
The remotely piloted aircraft was assigned to 12th Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, California, and was on a routine flight from Edwards Air Force Base en route to its home station when it crashed.
The Global Hawk has become a critical asset to combatant commanders who use this aerial platform for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The aircraft provides a clear picture of enemy positions effectively integrating with other aircraft and ground assets to prevail over hostile forces.
It provides multi-intelligence operations for six combatant commanders, and has been recognized as the safest aircraft in the Air Force inventory.
With its 130 ft wide straight wings, the Global Hawk can climb to a ceiling of 60,000 feet (18,288 meters) and fly continuously for 34 hours.
Global Hawk is powered by a single Rolls Royce Rolls Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine.
With a Maximum takeoff weight of 32,250 pounds (14628 kilograms) including 17,300 pounds (7847 kilograms) of fuel and 3,000 pound (1,360 kilograms) payload, the Global Hawk has a range of 12,300 nautical miles.
About 30 of these are based at the Beale Air Force Base.
