The RQ-4 Global Hawk has demonstrated more flexible mission management systems that allow more than one user to control the UAV.
"During a series of high-altitude, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk demonstrations, the UAS seamlessly responded to external requests to dynamically alter its route of flight and sensor functionality, thereby breaking the one-user to one-vehicle paradigm," said a Northrop Grumman news release.
This was accomplished without changes to the UAV's software. The demonstration, under the Air Force's Common Mission Control Center (CMCC) program, saw the Global Hawk "interfaced to the CMCC using the UAS C2 Initiative (UCI) message set, which is an emerging standard that enables interoperability across multiple weapon systems," Northrop Grumman said.
"Northrop Grumman's Control Mission Management System [CMMS] team is proud to contribute to the standardization of command and control systems for multiple UAS," said CMMS program director Michael Leahy. "Our customers' advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements call for modern ground control systems based on emerging standards that can be used across air vehicle platforms – that's what we strive to deliver."
