Mon, Jan 30, 2012
Expresses Disappointment With Pentagon Decision To Cancel The
Program
Following the announcement Wednesday by the Pentagon that it was
cancelling the Northorp Grumman Global Hawk Block 30 program as a
cost-savings measure, the company released a statement expressing
its disappointment with the move, and said it plans to work with
the Pentagon to assess alternatives to program termination.
"The Global Hawk program has demonstrated its utility in U.S.
military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as its
utility in humanitarian operations in Japan and Haiti," the
statement says. "Just a few months ago, the Pentagon published an
acquisition decision memorandum regarding Global Hawk Block 30 that
stated: 'The continuation of the program is essential to the
national security... there are no alternatives to the program which
will provide acceptable capability to meet the joint military
requirement at less cost.'"
NGC says that Global Hawk is the modern solution to providing
surveillance, providing long duration persistent surveillance, and
collects information using multiple sensors on the platform. In
contrast, the aging U-2 program, which is to take on the role
tasked to the Global Hawk Block 30, was first introduced in the
1950s. The company asserts that the move places pilots in danger,
and the airplane has limited flight duration and provides limited
sensor capacity. Extending the U-2's service life also represents
additional investment requirements for that program.
"Northrop Grumman is committed to working with our customers to
provide the best solutions for our country and our allies," the
statement concludes. "We are pleased with the continuing support
for the Global Hawk Block 40 system, as well as for the Navy's
Broad Area Maritime Surveillance system and our other unmanned
systems."
More News
Aero Linx: International Flying Farmers IFF is a not-for-profit organization started in 1944 by farmers who were also private pilots. We have members all across the United States a>[...]
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Remembrances Of An Israeli Air Force Test Pilot Early in 2016, ANN contributor Maxine Scheer traveled to Israel, where she had the opportunity to sit d>[...]
"We renegotiated what our debt restructuring is on a lot of our debts, mostly with the family. Those debts are going to be converted into equity..." Source: Excerpts from a short v>[...]
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Chart Supplement US A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open to >[...]