The UAS selected for Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) operations is the Global Hawk, manufactured by Northrop Grumman.  The Global Hawk was one of the platforms developed from the High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Air Vehicle (HAE UAV) program led by the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).  It was designed for high altitude and long duration BLOS missions.  The UAS consists of three main components: the Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) , the Launch and Recovery Element (LRE), and the Mission Control Element (MCE) (Northrop Grumman, 2014).  The LRE and MCE comprise the AN/MSQ-131 Ground Control Station (DTIC, 2004 ).
The UAV is composed of the airframe and its payload/sensor suite. The wings, tail, and nose are manufactured using carbon composites, and the rest of the fuselage is made from aluminum (Advanced Composites Bulletin, 2009).  Development of the UAV has continued since the initial configuration to address specific mission or customer requirements.  Different configurations include Block 0 (development system) currently operated by NASA, Blocks 10/20/30/40 operated by the U.S. Air Force, BAMS-D for the U.S. Navy, Euro Hawk configuration, NATO AGS, and U.S. Navy Triton (Northrop Grumman, 2014).  The increasing Block numbers represent upgrades in sensor suites and airframe changes.  A Rolls Royce AE3007EH turbofan engine provides propulsion and electrical power to the Global Hawk (Rolls Royce, 2014).  The UAV is capable of flying at an altitude over 60,000 feet and has mission duration of over 32 hours (Northrop Grumman, 2014).
The LRE controls the takeoff and landing of the Global Hawk.  The LRE is located at the base where the UAV operates.  It houses one pilot that has no control on sensor operations. The pilot also communicates with the respective air control facilities and ensures the UAV can be “handed off” to the Mission Control Element (MCE) (Kinzig, 2010).  The MCE takes over Command and Control (C2) from the LRE for the operation of the Global Hawk for the duration of the mission.  There is one pilot and a sensor operator that controls the vehicle’s payloads.  This is also where mission planning takes place.  The MCE provides “aircraft health and status, sensors status and a means to alter the navigational track of the aircraft” (940th Wing Public Affairs , 2009). 
BLOS operation of the UAS is supported by a variety on links.  The LRE maintains an UHF LOS link with the UAV at a forward operating location.  The MCE maintains a Ku Band link with the UAV while on flight to transmit data and receive imagery from the payloads.  Handoff from the LRE to MCE, and vice versa, is supported by an Inmarsat link that provides communication between them and the UAV.  The system also utilizes an UHF SATCOM link on the MCE and LRE as a means to ensure no instances of lost link situations.
BLOS operations have a great advantage, in that they provide for a method of command and control for an UAS regardless of the distance between the operator and the air vehicle.  Switching from LOS to BLOS operations requires a reliable control link with the UAS to ensure handoff.  The switch to and from BLOS also requires attention to human factors; the ground control element has to be designed in a way that includes the appropriate information to the operators.  Depiction of data must be complemented by an ergonomic control design that ensures no confusion can exist. 
UAS BLOS operations do have commercial applications, especially in cargo transportation.  Long haul cargo flights could be managed with a BLOS UAS that is controlled from a remote location.  This would provide for constant monitoring of the air vehicle in shifts between personnel.  Shift work does inject risk into the operations, which is another human factors concern to be addressed.  Cargo operations provide an opportunity in terms of cost reductions for operators, maximizing cargo movement per flight, and reducing the level of risk by removing the operator to a remote location.  The FAA forecasts an increase in 781 cargo aircraft in the next 20 years (Price, 2016), this is an opportunity for a cargo UAS to be part of the operations and to provide cost benefits.

References

940th Wing Public Affairs . (2009, December 23). RQ-4 GLOBAL HAWK. Retrieved from Fact Sheets: http://www.940wg.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=15906
Advanced Composites Bulletin. (2009, March). Northrop Grumman to provide composites for Global Hawk UAS. Advanced Composites Bulletin.
DTIC. (2004 , February). Exhibit R-2, RDT&E Budget Item Justification. Retrieved from GLOBAL HAWK DEVELOPMENT/FIELDING: http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum /Y2005/AirForce/stamped/0305220F.pdf
Kinzig, B. (2010). GLOBAL HAWK SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CASE STUDY. Air Force Center for Systems Engineering. Wright Patterson AFB: MacAulay-Brown, Inc.
Northrop Grumman. (2014). Q-4 Enterprise Proven. Persistent. Performing. High-Altitude, Long-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System. Retrieved from NorthropGrumman.Com: http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/GlobalHawk/Documents/Brochure_Q4_HALE_Enterprise.pdf
Price, H. J. (2016, March 24). Fact Sheet - FAA Forecast Fact Sheet - Fiscal Years 2016-2036. Retrieved from FAA: https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm? newsId=20136
Rolls Royce. (2014). AE 3007. Retrieved from Rolls Royce: http://www.rolls-royce.com/ defence/products/uav/ae_3007/index.jsp