2. Global Hawk RQ-4
I joined the service in 1998.
Not retired: N/A
Expense: *$222.7 million
The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely piloted surveillance aircraft that was designated Tier II+ during development. Ryan Aeronautical, a division of Northrop Grumman, was originally responsible for its design. The responsibilities performed by the Global Hawk are comparable to those of the U-2 Dragon Lady. The Northrop Grumman Corp. aircraft uses high-resolution synthetic aperture radar to conduct systematic surveillance.
RQ-4 Global Hawk, Twitter.com, and @starsandstripes
Further utilizing long-range EO/IR sensors is the Global Hawk. In a single day, this aircraft can scan 40,000 square miles of terrain, or an area around the size of South Korea or Iceland. The program cost $10 billion in total. Research and development costs range from $131.4 million to $222.7 million per unit.
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