Stratospheric Persistent UAS: Global Observer

Global Observer is being developed to establish a new category of UAS, the first operational configuration able to provide stratospheric global persistence with no latitude restrictions. Global Observer’s unique combination of both extreme flight duration and stratospheric operating altitude is designed to deliver advantages in cost, capacity, coverage, flexibility, and reliability that make it a compelling complement to existing satellite, aerial and terrestrial assets.

Global Observer is designed to address an urgent national security need for a persistent stratospheric platform and provides a means to satisfy numerous high value civil and commercial applications. Mission applications include communications relay & remote sensing payloads for military or commercial customers, as follows:

• Persistent, global, stratospheric loitering capability for defense and homeland security missions
• Low-cost, rapidly deployable telecommunications infrastructure and GPS augmentation
• Hurricane/storm tracking, weather monitoring, wildfire detection, and sustained support for relief operations
• Aerial imaging/mapping, for commercial and environmental monitoring, agriculture crop management and harvesting optimization.

Multiple communication and remote sensing applications have already been demonstrated from this operating position, including high definition broadcast (HDTV) video, and third generation (3G) mobile voice, video and data using an off-the-shelf mobile handset.