Articles

Global Hawk facility opens, increases base capabilities

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Bahret
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  In a tangible display of the Air Force's commitment to future mission growth on Guam, Andersen Air Force Base officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony June 12 commemorating the opening of Hangar 6, the future home of the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Designed to house up to six Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems, the 64,000 square foot hangar greatly increases Andersen's capabilities, according to Brig. Gen. Phil Ruhlman, 36th Wing commander.

The state-of-the-art building contains approximately 47,000 square feet for aircraft; another 17,000 square feet for maintenance shops and working space, as well as command and control facilities.

The aircraft, slated to occupy the hangar, are expected to start arriving in 2010. The RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system which provides military commanders with high resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas.

"Certainly it's an aircraft for military operations," said General Ruhlman. However, he added that the UAV is equally capable for use in humanitarian assistance efforts.

"The Global Hawk allows us to do incident assessment and awareness for those types of natural disasters that are possible in this region," he said. "If a typhoon occurs, our leaders can task us to use the Global Hawk to assess affected areas. I hope that assures our region, our partners and our allies on what this aircraft and hangar mean."

While the Global Hawk is not scheduled to arrive in Guam until 2010, Andersen will take advantage of the extra hangar space to maintain aircraft supporting Continuous Bomber Presence and Theater Security Package missions.

"We will use the outstanding capabilities of this facility to continue maintenance for our very important assets, like the F-22," General Ruhlman said.

The hangar is also large enough to house B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers that deploy to Andersen Air Force Base in support of the Continuous Bomber Presence mission.

Black Construction was the lead contractor on the project. Leonard Kaae, Black Construction vice president, said his company is proud of the finished product.

"This pride goes far beyond the development of the physical infrastructure of this project, but more importantly the improvement of one of the nation's most strategic bases," he added.

"We consider this a positive step in the new direction Guam is headed in relation to this build up," said Mr. Kaae. "We hope to mark this moment as a beginning of a trend of unprecedented improvements to the island we call home."

The hangar is designed to withstand typhoon force winds in excess of 170 mph, earthquakes, and the corrosive elements prevalent on a tropical island. It features a high-tech fire suppression system and hoists to support maintenance and safety devices to protect the aircraft and maintainers.

"It is a significant achievement in engineering construction and a significant addition to the combat capability at Andersen AFB," said Navy Capt. Paul Fuligni, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.

Considering Guam's strategic location in the Pacific, Andersen is the ideal location to house a sophisticated aircraft like the Global Hawk, he added.

"With the ability to fly on long endurance missions at high altitudes, that aircraft is built and made for the long distances of the big blue Pacific," said Captain Fuligni. "What better place to base such an aircraft than the strategic island of Guam."

He said current construction projects like Hangar 6 and requests for future infrastructure against the presidential budget are good indicators of the growth Guam will experience.

"This demonstrates the enduring commitment that our nation has to the Pacific," General Ruhlman said. "It shows the enduring commitment that the Department of Defense has to the island of Guam.

General Information