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."
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