DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

RQ-4 Global Hawk

aerialcommercialby Northrop Grumman

High-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance UAV.

Track RQ-4 Global Hawk
Manufacturer
Northrop Grumman
Form factor
aerial
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
3
Website
northropgrumman.com ↗

The verified answer

As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies RQ-4 Global Hawk, a aerial by Northrop Grumman (commercial): 3 verified deployments on record. 2 sources back the record.

Appears inMilitary & defense drones

Overview

High-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance UAV. 30+ hour endurance, 60,000 ft altitude, all-weather ISR platform. US and NATO operator.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Focus

Major defense contractor with aerospace and autonomous systems programs.

Products

Develops the B-21 Raider, Global Hawk, and James Webb Space Telescope.

Stage

Public company listed on NYSE under ticker NOC.

NYSE

NOC

Autonomous flight hours

500,000+

Key products

Global Hawk, Triton, Fire Scout UAVs

Specs

Max altitude m

18288

Flight time min

1800

Data & sources

Government records

1

Web sources

1

2 sources backing this record.View all →

Availability and pricing

Availability
Not disclosed
Price
$103M to $130M (actual sale price)as of 2024-01-01
Units in field
Not disclosed
Sales model
Not disclosed
Lead time
Not disclosed

Pricing

One-time purchase

$103,000,000 - $130,000,000 USDactual sale priceas of 2024-01-01

Source: RQ-4 Global Hawk (Wikipedia)

Price status: actual-sale-price = real published price at time of sale; manufacturer-target = vendor target, not yet realized; analyst-estimate = third-party projection, not a vendor figure; not-announced = no price on record.

Prices verified as of Jan 1, 2024

Deployments (3)

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: Jun 2019.

serious
1

Most recent: Jun 2019

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Incidents affecting RQ-4 Global Hawk (1)

Includes incidents linked directly to this model or to deployments of it. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (2)

  1. https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/air/global-hawk/
  2. https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104482/rq-4-global-hawk/

Common questions

What is RQ-4 Global Hawk?
High-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance UAV. 30+ hour endurance, 60,000 ft altitude, all-weather ISR platform. US and NATO operator.
How much does RQ-4 Global Hawk cost?
RQ-4 Global Hawk is listed at $103,000,000 to $130,000,000 on the DEPLOY registry. This is an actual sale price on record.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_RQ-4_Global_Hawk
Is RQ-4 Global Hawk actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. RQ-4 Global Hawk is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes RQ-4 Global Hawk?
RQ-4 Global Hawk is made by Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia, USA, founded in 1994.
Where is RQ-4 Global Hawk deployed?
3 verified deployments of RQ-4 Global Hawk are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, Sigonella (NAS Sigonella, Sicily), Beale Air Force Base.
Can you buy RQ-4 Global Hawk?
RQ-4 Global Hawk is available for purchase - a real sale price is on record (see the pricing section for the figure and its source).
What are alternatives to RQ-4 Global Hawk?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable aerial robots to RQ-4 Global Hawk include Wing Delivery Aircraft, Skydio X10, Zipline Platform 2 (P2), Prime Air MK30.
How does RQ-4 Global Hawk compare to Wing Delivery Aircraft?
RQ-4 Global Hawk and Wing Delivery Aircraft (Wing · 35 deployments) are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. RQ-4 Global Hawk has 3 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is RQ-4 Global Hawk a top aerial?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, RQ-4 Global Hawk ranks in roughly the top 33% of aerial models tracked by the registry.
What is RQ-4 Global Hawk's maturity stage?
RQ-4 Global Hawk is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is RQ-4 Global Hawk safe?
RQ-4 Global Hawk has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: Jun 2019. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-government-record
Government record

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Recent coverage

RQ-4 Global Hawk in third-party press

NATO to add up to five Northrop Grumman Triton drones for maritime surveillance

Jul 7, 2026

Pentagon reveals preferred munitions for one-way attack drones

Jun 9, 2026