Northrop Grumman Receives $17.7 Million Global Hawk Upgrade Contract

The Air Force modified an existing deal for engineering work on the RQ-4B Global Hawk's digital receiver module, lifting the contract's cumulative value to $618.2 million.

First Published: July 30, 2026, 1:19 PM ET

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, the San Diego unit of the Pentagon’s fifth-largest contractor, received a $17.7 million Air Force modification to upgrade a core sensor on the RQ-4B Global Hawk drone, as announced on war.gov.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery requirements modification lifts the contract’s total cumulative face value to $618.2 million, according to war.gov. The award funds a form, fit, function engineering change proposal for the digital receiver module of the RQ-4B Global Hawk Unmanned Air-Vehicle system, an upgrade meant to keep the surveillance aircraft’s electronics current.

The Air Force Sustainment Center at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, serves as the contracting activity, according to war.gov. Fiscal 2026 contract depot maintenance direct cite funds of $17.7 million cover the award at signing. Work will span San Diego and El Segundo, California, and Forest, Mississippi, and is expected to finish by Nov. 30, 2028. The modification carries the identifier P00018 and attaches to previously awarded contract FA8539-21-D-0001.

The deal marks the first contract for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in 2026, bringing the company’s tracked total for the year to $17.7 million, according to war.gov. It also stands as the 90th Department of Defense contract awarded in California during 2026. The award ranks well below the company’s record contract of $3.6 billion.

The spending signals continued investment in unmanned surveillance rather than crewed aircraft, a shift that shapes how the Pentagon watches borders and battlefields without risking pilots. Depot maintenance work also anchors payrolls in three states, from Southern California engineering hubs to a facility in Forest, Mississippi.

Sustainment awards like this one have happened before and recur across the Global Hawk program’s life. The RQ-4 fleet has drawn repeated modifications since Northrop Grumman began delivering the aircraft, as engineers refresh aging avionics to counter obsolescence. This modification falls between the 2026 Air Force portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $17 and maximum of $5.6 billion, according to war.gov.

The next decision on the effort rests with the Air Force Sustainment Center, which will oversee delivery orders and completion through the Nov. 30, 2028 deadline. A date for any follow-on modification has not been announced. The award appeared among 12 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.

The Global Hawk has weathered budget battles as happened before across its two-decade service. The Air Force sought to retire Block 30 aircraft as early as 2012, arguing the U-2 spy plane flew cheaper, yet Congress blocked the mothballing and kept the drones flying. Lawmakers later reversed course and approved partial retirements of older blocks in the early 2020s. The tug-of-war left Northrop Grumman servicing a shrinking but still-active fleet, sustained by exactly the kind of engineering upgrades this contract funds.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $17,747,040. It is also the 90th Department of Defense contract awarded in California during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, whose record stands at $3,600,000,000, it is notable within the Air Force portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Air Force portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $17 and maximum of $5,600,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 12 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 30, 2026.