DroneLedger

Research edition · 2026-11-01

Fixed-wing symbol

RQ-4 Global Hawk

A US high-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance family. Its incident relevance includes the RQ-4A BAMS-D aircraft lost near the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019. That naval demonstrator must not be relabelled MQ-4C Triton. Current RQ-4 fact-sheet dimensions describe another configuration and are not used to reconstruct the aircraft lost in that event.[1][2][3]

Archived research edition. Archive statistics and new dossiers are available on the current profile.

Current profile ↗
39.8 m14.5 mTop view

Body length[3] · Wingspan[3]

14.5 m · Side view · schematic
Top-view bounding dimensions share one metre scale. Internal contours and side profiles are schematic; height is not inferred. Ranges show their largest outline and retain their labels.

The numbers, with their sources

Intervals preserve the published bounds; they are not statistical confidence intervals. A blank lower or upper bound stays open. Values belong to the named configuration, not every aircraft.

Published flight range

Unknown in reviewed sources

Take-off mass

≤ 14628 kg[3]RQ-4B · USAF fact sheet current as of October 2014, not RQ-4A BAMS-D · 2014
Published upper limit

Payload

1360 kg[3]RQ-4B · USAF fact sheet current as of October 2014, not RQ-4A BAMS-D · 2014
Official report; not an independent test

Body length

14.5 m[3]RQ-4B · USAF fact sheet current as of October 2014, not RQ-4A BAMS-D · 2014
Official report; not an independent test

Wingspan

39.8 m[3]RQ-4B · USAF fact sheet current as of October 2014, not RQ-4A BAMS-D · 2014
Official report; not an independent test

Endurance

> 34 h[3]RQ-4B · USAF fact sheet current as of October 2014, not RQ-4A BAMS-D · 2014
Published lower limit

Family & configurations

RQ-4 Global Hawk

No sourced family relationship recorded in this edition. Similar roles do not establish a common design.

What does it cost?

Published USD figures use different price bases and years. Airframes, export packages and support are not equivalent. These are not current offers or verified production costs.

Unknown in reviewed sources

Source notebook

  1. Northrop Grumman · Global Hawk programme and persistent ISR

    Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Manufacturer claim

  2. US Central Command · RQ-4A BAMS-D loss statement

    2019-06-20 · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Official report; not an independent test

    Consulted via search index; direct page unavailable

  3. US Air Force · RQ-4 Global Hawk fact sheet (current as of October 2014)

    Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Official report; not an independent test

    Consulted via search index; direct page unavailable

DroneLedger · RQ-4 Global Hawk · 2026-11-01 ·