Lockheed Martin's ubiquitous U-2 'Dragon Lady' surveillance aircraft has been the doyen of almost every American military and peacekeeping operation since the mid-1950s, but now there is a new kid on the block. This 'upstart' is the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV). Over the last few years the latter programme has received unprecedented impetus, to the extent that the United States Air Force (USAF) is currently procuring a third variant - the RQ-4B - helping create a fleet double that of the U-2. The intention is that Global Hawk will eventually replace the U-2. It is also making inroads into Europe, having been selected as Germany's Eurohawk platform and as NATOhawk, one of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) platforms. Until recently, UAV procurement in the US had been given a bumpy ride. Despite the realisation that these are a relatively inexpensive source of tactical imagery, millions of dollars was wasted on programmes that never came to fruition. Congress perceived the UAV effort as lacking in focus and unable to meet operational requirements. Global Hawk has now changed all that. After operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, everyone's minds are very focused, pushing ahead with UAV development. In fact, the US intelligence funding bill two years ago directed a full-scale review of reconnaissance aircraft requirements. Even the US Federal Aviation Authority has decided to take UAVs seriously, granting Global Hawk its first certificate of authorisation permitting access to American civil air space.
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