Northrop says new Global Hawk to fly in early 2007

The new version of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance plane will make its first flight sometime early in 2007 after completing up to 40 taxi tests, the company said on Monday.

Two earlier Global Hawks have logged over 350 hours conducting surveillance at high altitudes over Iraq and Afghanistan, collecting more than 4,800 images and helping U.S. troops find more than 50 surface-to-air missile sites.

The updated, larger Block 20 Global Hawks will feature electric brakes, a longer wingspan, and an open systems architecture that will allow quick switching of sensors, said Ed Walby, business development director for the plane.

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