The Global Observer high altitude UAV system is developed by Aerovironment for missions spanning over a week. This aircraft was designed to provide long dwelling stratospheric capability with global range and no latitude restrictions.
Operating at these heights, the platforms provides ‘near space’ capability comparable to satellites, providing services such as persistent ISR and communications relay, including dedicated communications support and satellite link redundancy for other UAVs. The aircraft is designed for operations significantly longer than the current Global Hawk, carrying payloads of 400 to 1,000 lbs of payload to an altitude of 65,000 ft. where it will cover a ‘footprint’ of up to 600 mile in diameter.
