Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by the United States Air Force to provide dynamic inflight rerouting for RQ-4B Global Hawk. The software update, known as Dynamic Mission Operations (DYNAMO), will enhance Global Hawk’s ability to provide critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data to geographic combatant commanders.

“DYNAMO is part of a series of Global Hawk modernization efforts, including the Ground Station Modernization Program, that will reinforce the weapon system’s ability to monitor and deter near-peer and peer threats around the globe,” said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager, autonomous systems, Northrop Grumman. “These upgrades will make Global Hawk even more valuable in a future Joint-All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) environment.”

The DYNAMO flexible mission planning capability enables in-flight rerouting of Global Hawk, allowing operators to respond to changing real world conditions, whether natural or manmade, during a mission. The upgrade is on track to be fielded in 2023.

Today, Global Hawk is the premier autonomous high-altitude, long-endurance ISR platform for the U.S. Air Force and global partners. No other system provides a better combination of range, endurance and payload capacity. To meet future operational needs, Global Hawk is capable of delivering data beyond its traditional strategic ISR mission by providing persistent communications relay and secure processing without putting personnel in harm’s way.

Northrop Grumman release