Uncrewed aircraft
RQ-4 Global Hawk
- Milestones0
- Operators—
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs—
Timeline
No milestones recorded for RQ-4 Global Hawk yet. The timeline fills in as unveilings, tests, contracts and deliveries are sourced.
Cost to the Government
Aircraft · Northrop Grumman
RQ-4 Global Hawk
Historical acquisition costs and dated flight-hour rates are separated from block-specific fleet retirement decisions.
Historical average procurement / aircraft
$122.8M
FY2014 figure cited by CRS · Constant FY2014 USD
CRS reports $122.8M in FY2014 dollars. Procurement average includes program procurement scope; not a current replacement or export-package price.
Congressional Research Service ↗U.S. inventory
Not verified
A current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count.
U.S. procurement quantity
Not verified
No comparable U.S. procurement quantity was established in this review.
RQ-4 annual RDT&E
$6.171M / yr
FY2025 actual · PB2027 · Nominal USD; source budget basis
PE0305220F; annual research funding, not lifetime R&D.
Department of Defense Comptroller ↗Aircraft blocks are not interchangeable
CRS separates communications-relay and reconnaissance configurations and describes retirement proposals by block. Its historical inventory narrative is not used as a 2026 operational count.
Hourly reimbursement is a narrow cost measure
The DoD billing schedule excludes many ownership costs. It should not be compared directly with acquisition averages or interpreted as an all-in mission cost.
Operations & sustainment
Reimbursement / flight hour
$1,962 / hr
FY2026 · Nominal USD; Other DoD Component
Other DoD Component rate. Billing reference, not fully burdened operating cost or proof of operational status.
DoD Comptroller ↗Cost over time · 3 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | Reimbursement / flight hour Other DoD Component rate. Billing reference, not fully burdened operating cost or proof of operational status. | $1,962 / hr | Nominal USD; Other DoD Component | DoD Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2014 figure cited by CRS | Historical average procurement / aircraft CRS reports $122.8M in FY2014 dollars. Procurement average includes program procurement scope; not a current replacement or export-package price. | $122.8M | Constant FY2014 USD | Congressional Research Service ↗ |
| FY2025 actual · PB2027 | RQ-4 annual RDT&E PE0305220F; annual research funding, not lifetime R&D. | $6.171M / yr | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Department of Defense Comptroller ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 0 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
No primary-source contract record verified in this review. This does not mean there are no contracts.
International buyers
United States · Quantity not verified · U.S. program customer · Dated source snapshot
Purchases and program plans are not a current operational inventory.
Congressional Research Service ↗
Coverage & open research
- Buyer records are selected examples, not a complete global order book.
- Current U.S. operational inventory was not established; dated purchases, deliveries and plans remain separate.
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.