RQ-4B Global Hawk - High-Altitude Eyes of the USAF

The RQ-4B Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system operated by the United States Air Force for strategic reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and surveillance. Designed to operate above 60,000 feet with endurance exceeding 30 hours, the Global Hawk provides persistent, real-time data to ground commanders over vast areas of operation.

Originally projected in the mid-1990s as a relatively low-cost surveillance platform, the Global Hawk evolved into a highly sophisticated system incorporating advanced sensors, communications, and autonomous flight capabilities. As development progressed, unit costs increased significantly, reflecting both the technical complexity of the aircraft and its expanding mission profile. The USAF has since planned a phased retirement of portions of the fleet as newer systems come online.

This model is the Kinetic kit built in 1/48 scale. At this scale, the Global Hawk’s real-world wingspan of approximately 130 feet translates to a model wingspan of roughly 32 inches, presenting unique challenges in both construction and photography. The size alone makes handling, airbrushing, and presentation more demanding than most aircraft subjects.

Several refinements were made during the build, including scratch-built static wicks, weighted tires, and a detailed forward camera lens assembly. The model was finished using acrylic paints, with an emphasis on maintaining the clean, utilitarian appearance typical of operational Global Hawk airframes.

While not without challenges, this build represents part of an ongoing learning process and an opportunity to work with an aircraft whose scale, presence, and role are unlike conventional piloted designs. The intent was to capture the quiet, persistent nature of the Global Hawk - an aircraft defined not by speed or armament, but by endurance, altitude, and information dominance.

MQ-1 Predator - The Drone That Changed Modern Warfare

Manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the MQ-1 Predator marked a fundamental shift in modern aerial warfare and surveillance. Originally developed as a reconnaissance platform, the Predator became one of the first unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct sustained, armed combat operations, permanently altering how airpower could be applied.

Entering service in the late 1990s, the Predator first saw combat as an armed platform in 2002 when it was equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. This transformation expanded its role from intelligence collection to persistent strike capability, allowing targets to be identified, tracked, and engaged by the same aircraft without the need for immediate manned support.

Powered by a four-cylinder Rotax 914 engine, the MQ-1 had a top speed of approximately 135 miles per hour and an operational range of roughly 454 miles. While modest in performance compared to conventional aircraft, its true strength lay in endurance and loiter time, enabling it to remain on station for extended periods while providing continuous real-time intelligence to ground commanders.

The Predator was employed extensively across multiple theaters of operation, including Afghanistan and Iraq, where its combination of surveillance and precision strike capability reshaped battlefield tactics and surveillance doctrine. Its success directly influenced the development of larger and more capable unmanned systems that followed.

This model was built to reflect the understated, utilitarian appearance of the MQ-1 Predator as it appeared in operational service. The intent of the build was to capture the aircraft’s quiet but transformative role in modern military aviation - an aircraft that proved persistence and information could be as decisive as speed or firepower.