[Yonhap, Oct. 31 & Nov. 1] Northrop Grumman keen on selling Global Hawk to S. Korea

[아름드리 나무]

The Global Hawks whose operation range is 3,000 km will cover not only North Korea but China, as well, the Korean TV news said last night... You may also notice Northrop Grumman 's partnership with NATO and Korean companies in the below articles. Too bad move..

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/11/01/0301000000AEN20131101002451315.html

S. Korea nearing decision to buy Northrop's Global Hawks

2013/11/01 18:55

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is poised to buy four Global Hawks from Northrop Grumman through the U.S. Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program, with a decision expected to come early next year, a government source said Friday.

Seeking better surveillance capabilities on North Korea, Seoul has sought to buy the high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), obtaining sales approval for four airplanes from the U.S. government in April.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2013/10/31/25/0200000000AEN20131031002500315F.html

Northrop Grumman keen on selling Global Hawk to S. Korea

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) -- U.S. aerospace giant Northrop Grumman is waiting for South Korea's decision on acquiring spy drones, its senior official said on Thursday, promising industrial cooperation and technology transfer to facilitate sales of its RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Seeking better surveillance capabilities on North Korea, Seoul has sought to buy the high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in the spring received sales approval for four airplanes from the U.S. government.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk by Northrop Grumman (Yonhap)

But the higher than expected cost for four spy drones, which was valued at US$1.2 billion by the Pentagon, caused Seoul to reconsider its plan for a government-to-government program and hold an open competition with other potential deals on the table, including Boeing's Phantom Eye and AeroVironment Inc.'s Global Observer.

Northrop officials say they are waiting for Seoul's decision on four RQ-4 Block 30 aircraft, saying the Defense Acquisition Program Administration has recently requested the U.S. Air Force to extend the letters of request and acceptance that are expected to expire soon.

Although U.S. representatives will be the main negotiators for sales of the Global Hawk, which will be sold through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, Northrop officials said the price notified to U.S. Congress could go down depending on the requirements by South Korea.

"That certainly isn't the price. It's a ceiling price," Richard Weir, the director of corporate global business development, said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency.

As part of marketing efforts, the Virginia-based defense company displayed the full-size mock-up aircraft during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), which opened on Tuesday and runs through Sunday.

Global Hawk operates at considerable stand-off distances and in any weather or light conditions, and can carry up to 1,360 kg of an internal payload. Associated with command and control base stations, the system's advanced radar will continuously detect and track moving objects throughout observed areas on the Korean Peninsula, he said.

Weir stressed the spy drone can well fit into the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) currently under development by providing surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for early actions in time of conflict, calling it the "Eyes of Kill Chain."

   The Kill Chain defense system is designed to detect signs of impending missile attacks and launch pre-emptive attacks, while KAMD will intercept North Korean missiles that are already fired and are on route toward the target.

South Korea's 2014-18 defense plan calls for the KAMD and Kill Chain systems in order to shield against North Korea's evolving missile capacity, with the budget considerations currently underway at the National Assembly.

"It's going to alert your KAMD forces, so Global Hawk is the critical part. In fact, it's the first part of the Korean Kill Chain process," Weir said. "You have to see first before you can act."

   The director said his company has arranged a partnership with several Korean companies for products that will be available for the RQ-4 Block 30 and Block 40 for the U.S. Air Force, and the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as part of an offset deal for the FMS requirement.

NATO plans to acquire the AGS system that will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground, with a group of allies planning to operate it as early as 2015.

"The Korean industry participants would build parts that would go on to all these airplanes, not just Korean aircraft," he said. "That's very good."

   Northrop also promised to hand over technology know-how on "Certificate of Airworthiness" to South Korea, which is classified as a standard certificate for an aircraft in the U.S., Australia and some other countries.

"Northrop Grumman is interested in Korea for a long time. So this is more than just about Global Hawk," Weir said. "We desire to build a partnership in Korea. We think the Korean industry has a lot of potential."

   The U.S. earlier this month agreed to send two or three Global Hawks to Japan, which will be the first rotational deployment. Tokyo is also planning to acquire a Global Hawk fleet, with its defense ministry requesting a budget to research the cost of introducing the system by 2015.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

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