Northrop Grumman has secured a $325 million contract from the US Army to advance the RangeHawk hypersonic testing drone program. Based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk platform, the unmanned system is designed to replace slower ship-based telemetry collection methods currently used during hypersonic missile trials. Existing testing operations require large naval deployments and long repositioning timelines, limiting the number of annual tests. By converting retired Global Hawk drones into airborne tracking systems, the Pentagon hopes to significantly speed up hypersonic research and improve data collection efficiency. The drones will support the SkyRange initiative, which plans to transform multiple RQ-4 platforms into specialized hypersonic testbeds. The program is part of broader US efforts to catch up with China and Russia in the hypersonic weapons race while strengthening future missile development infrastructure.
