RQ-4 flew with MS-177 sensor for the first time

Flight testing of the MS-177 sensor payload on the RQ-4 Global Hawk has started in earnest with the unmanned aerial vehicle carrying the sensor airborne for the first time at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, California facility.

Northrop+Grumman+Begins+Flight+Tests+of+the+MS-177+Multi-Spectral+Sensor+on+RQ-4+Global+Hawk
Photo: Northrop Grumman

The MS-177 is the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation multispectral camera. It is based on the Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance System sensor, flown on the U-2S.