[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Evolving Global Hawk... How Far Can Its Reconnaissance Capability Go?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft (HUAS) Global Hawk (RQ-4) continues to evolve steadily. Developed 25 years ago, the Global Hawk is already regarded as having reconnaissance capabilities superior to those of previous generation reconnaissance aircraft.

There was a reason why the United States began developing unmanned aerial vehicles. It was the Grand Slam operation initiated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1955. The Grand Slam operation was aimed at monitoring the radar network of the communist Soviet Union and was an essential mission to understand Soviet military movements before the Cold War fully escalated.

The U.S. 7th Air Force's '5th Reconnaissance Squadron' deployed the strategic reconnaissance aircraft Dragon Lady (U-2) on May 1, 1960, to carry out this operation. The 5th Reconnaissance Squadron is a detachment under the 9th Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Beale Air Force Base (AFB) in California, USA.

However, the U-2 did not return. After 4 hours of flight, a Soviet missile battalion, having detected the U-2's flight path, launched 24 SA-2 surface-to-air missiles in succession and shot down the U-2 at an altitude of 21,000 meters. The U-2 pilot escaped but was captured by Soviet forces and forced to admit illegal intrusion.

From the U.S. perspective, it was a humiliating operation. This incident led the U.S. to turn its attention to unmanned aerial vehicles. When the Israeli Air Force deployed UAVs during the 1982 Lebanon War to penetrate Syrian air defenses, the U.S. partnered with Israel. The UAV developed at that time was the RQ-2 Pioneer.

As electronic equipment and aviation technology advanced, the U.S. began developing UAVs independently. The leading company was Northrop Grumman. In 1995, they began full-scale development of the Global Hawk, a dedicated unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

The developed Global Hawk was deployed in combat across Afghanistan starting November 2001, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The initial version developed was the Global Hawk Block 10. Seven units of this model were produced but all have since been retired, leading to the creation of the Global Hawk Block 20, which increased internal payload capacity to 1,360 kg. The Block 20 focused solely on video intelligence collection. Later, the Global Hawk Block 30, which our military has adopted, added signal equipment capabilities. The U.S. also developed the Global Hawk Block 40, declaring initial operational capability in 2015.

According to the original U.S. plan, the development of the Global Hawk was supposed to retire the U-2. However, the U-2 remains at the forefront due to advantages that even the Global Hawk cannot match. The Global Hawk Block 40, which first flew on November 16, 2009, is truly a culmination of cutting-edge reconnaissance technology. It features the latest AESA radar and enhanced Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) capabilities. It also possesses real-time battlefield surveillance capabilities similar to those operated by the U.S. Air Force's E-8C. Maritime reconnaissance capabilities are also being enhanced.

However, the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft has its own strengths. The U-2 uses manual cameras and wet film. Although this technology is behind the Global Hawk’s real-time video transmission and analysis, once developed, the image quality surpasses that of digital cameras, making it ideal for detailed information analysis.

Notably, the Global Hawk cannot shoot continuously. It takes 60 seconds to capture one image. To photograph approximately 2,500 images covering the entire North Korean territory would require over 40 hours. Because of this, even with the introduction of the Global Hawk, there is an opinion that the U.S. military will still have to rely on reconnaissance satellites for monitoring North Korea’s key military movements.

Our military plans to deploy the first Global Hawk (RQ-4) in October to independently collect video intelligence of North Korea’s interior. Once the video intelligence processing system (target imaging → interpretation → information transmission) is introduced next month, video interpretation will be possible. Based on this, the Global Hawk (RQ-4) operation manual will also be supplemented.

Considering that the Global Hawk lacks signal collection equipment, it will be used simultaneously with reconnaissance aircraft such as Geumgang and Baekdu (RC-800), and Saemae (RF-16). The RF-16, nicknamed 'Saemae,' flies near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and Northern Limit Line (NLL), collecting video intelligence related to North Korean forces. Additionally, the upgraded Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft from 2017 can capture North Korea’s electronic intelligence (Elint) and communications intelligence (Comint), detecting radar operations and both wired and wireless communications.