Global Hawk UAV , delays, cost overruns: Predator "C" in the wings ....

Alfredo Ramirez, Northrop Grumman Global Hawk's chief engineer first dreamt about the successor to the 40 year old,and famous U-2 spy plane, in his Ryan Aeronautical Co. office in San Diego over 10 years ago.

Flying at 60,000 feet, an unmanned vehicle (UAV), communicating by satellite with a range of sensors and that could carry weapons, that could patrol for two days, unlike the 11 hours before pilot fatigue set in the for the human U-2 pilot, (who could be shot down and captured) was his goal.

The General Accounting Office in a 40 page report, now says that the program Ramirez has run since then has run up costs of US$6.6 Bn which so far runs out at US$130.5 Mn. per aircraft and they compare this with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems ( a privately held company) second-generation Predator B whose costs total US$1.2 Bn. Or US$19.2 Mn. – per vehicle.

The effect of the cost growth and the delays is that the program has run foul of the Nunn-McCurdy Act .... Congress has to be told when acquisition costs on individual programs exceed 15 %. The Office of the Secretary of Defense has to certify that Global Hawk is:

1. Necessary to national security
2. That costs are now under control
3. The reason for the restructuring of the program
4. No alternatives exist that can provide equal or greater military capability at less cost.

That certification has to be and will be complete by June 5, according to Air Force spokesman Doug Karas.

A major problem is that the U-2 "Dragon Lady" spy plane, whose retirement is due between 2007 and 2011 ( a big proponent of ending it's service life is Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters), in part to free up money to fund the Global Hawk program - about $1 billion and 3,300 personnel slots in operating costs, according to Defense Department budget documents.

However, the U-2 fleet is capable of flying until 2050, due to engine and cockpit upgrades over the last 10 years, according to the Congressional Research Service. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a popular belief, especially amongst some Congressmen - mainly the ones who don’t live in San Diego it appears.

For Northrop Grumman, who took over the revolutionary Global Hawk program with its buyout of San Diego's Ryan Aeronautical in 1999 (along with Alfredo Ramirez) such criticism is very unwelcome.

However this is not the first time the GAO have raised a quizzical eyebrow at the costs of Global Hawk, for they reported in 2004, that the overall estimated cost of the program had soared to $6.3 billion, a 16.6 percent increase over the $5.4 billion set in 2001.

Northrop Grumman says the 1st generation model Global Hawk cost is $21 million for each jet aircraft, the electronic sensors adds $11 million and the mission control system adds another $11 million.

That means a total cost to $43 million, although the ground control system is used with more than one UAV. The company estimates the cost of a 2nd -generation Global Hawk RQ4-B at $56.5 million, which includes a bigger jet aircraft at $29 million and a more advanced sensor package at $16.5 million.

The implications for Grumman and the Global Hawk program are very significant because the UAV market has become bigger and more competitive with suppliers from many nations.

Before 9/11 the DOD spent US$3.6 billion on the UAV program, says the latest GAO report, it plans to spend another US$24 Bn in the next 5 years. A market that didn’t exist 5 years ago.

The other main US supplier General Atomics with their Predator UAV series poses a major challenge domestically, as well as Swedish, French, and Israeli suppliers.

The 1st generation Predator A is propeller-driven airplane flying at 25.000 ft the B – series is bigger , can reach 50,000 feet and can carry 16 “Hellfire” anti-tank missiles. The market (and the military are waiting to see what Predator C looks like)

The unmanned Global Hawk can fly
1. Twice as far as the U-2
2. Remain on station for 3 times as long, = 10,000 nautical miles from its take-off location, and it provides detailed image-based intelligence on 40,000 square miles, about the size of the UK.
3. The U-2 can carry twice the payload of the Global Hawk "A" model.
4. The U-2's superior electrical power increases some of the capabilities of its onboard sensors.
5. The Global Hawk B will boost its payload weight (by 1000 lbs)and an electrical generator to roughly match the U-2 say Northrop Grumman.,

Global Hawk will not be able to match the U-2's synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and infrared capabilities at least through 2012. When the "B" model is introduced -- and if it works as advertised -- it will largely close those gaps, according to Air Force and company officials.

The U-2 has a major and very significant capacity that the Global Hawk cannot match -- broad area synoptic coverage (BAS), according to USAF sources.

BAS is a static image of an enormous area, (dimensions are classifed). This is used both for treaty verification and also in preparation for battles; a single shot can show how an entire enemy force is arrayed on the battlefield. Follow up shots then can track movements.

The U-2s BAS was used to chart the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, (with what benefit it is difficult to determine) . Satellites cannot take broad pictures, creating less accurate "mosaics" with smaller pictures taken over a longer time period, then pieced together by intelligence analysts. Global Hawks have to date, flown more than 5,500 combat hours in more than 250 missions so far, in support of the war on terrorism over Afghanistan and Iraq (and maybe Iran?).

On April 5th Northrop Grumman delivered another (the 6th) RQ-4 Global Hawk to USAF after delivering 2 in January and another is scheduled for the summer. The US Navy has acquired two RQ-4's for their Maritime Demonstration Program.

New equipment in the forthcoming RQ-4A will include a civil-certificated GPS satellite navigation system embedded, controller-pilot datalink ommunications and automatic dependent surveillance (ADS). Global Hawk is already equipped with a traffic collision avoidance system and Mode S transponder, for situation awareness and not automatic avoidance manoeuvres.

This is all fitted in the new 0.9m (3ft) fuselage extension, with a new 39.6m span wing and a 27kVA generator replacing the existing 10kVA system bringing payload weight up to 3,000 lbs.
The ground control stations (GCS) will be equipped with 8.33kHz-spacing VHF radios for voice communications with civilian air traffic control (ATC) via the UAV and an Inmarsat satellite communications relay. ADS-A data on the UAV's identification, location and heading will be similarly relayed to ATC. While Global Hawk is often restricted to operating at 50,000ft (15,250m) or higher and making spiral take-off and landings to avoid civil air traffic, this version will be capable of transiting through General Air Traffic airspace.

Enhancements will include evaluating and selecting alternative mission packages, including radio frequency signals intelligence (SIGINT) and making initial open- system computing provision for the future Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Programme due in the program for 2007-8. The first RQ-4A Lot 5 in 2008-9 will include more SIGINT and a new common datalink.

The USAF has postponed indefinitely a planned deployment to Germany and demonstration of a Global Hawk equipped with an EADS electronic intelligence(ELINT)package.

The air force says there are no available UAVs for the demonstration as the result of the military build-up in the Gulf. Following the delivery last month of the 7th development vehicle and the loss of three earlier demonstrators there are now only four RQ-4As flying.

Predator series has a proud record of service

“The Predator Series of unmanned aircraft systems had made a significant impact on the global war on terrorism, providing persistent ISR and full-mission capability to military users and decision-makers around the world,” said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems, Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in September 2005 “Now with an experience base of more than 150,000 flight hours, no other UAS manufacturer can match the combat-proven, unparalleled performance and exceptional reliability of the Predator family.”

The Predator Series now including a variety of additional aircraft systems, including Altus®, I-GNAT®, Predator B, Altair®, Army I-GNAT ER and Warrior™. These aircraft aircraft are in constant daily operations supporting the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Government, NASA, NOAA, Italian Air Force, Turkish Army and other customers and have been deployed in world trouble spots on five continents, including operations in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"To secure our nation's borders is priority number one," said Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "CBP now owns and operates the most advanced state-of-the-art technology and is capitalizing on the Predator B unmanned aircraft system to secure the country better. This 'eye in the sky' will not only support the 'boots on the ground' but will also allow us to deploy resources more effectively, ultimately enhancing our ability to gain operational control of our borders."



(c) Edgar Corporation
Pic right at the top is recent addition to the NG Board, General B Myers - he's the guy (Chief of all the Armed Forces of the USA) who on the morning of 9-11 was shooting the breeze for 2 solid hours in Senator McLellan's office by the Potomac, whilst the pentagon was burning and Manhattan fell down , outta site of TV, outta hearing of Radio, Messages, Telephones, Pagers , knocks on the door ... etc.,

Bet they have to wake him up to give him his pay check.