HALE: High-altitude aspirations

Published: Mar 21, 2006
Source: www.flightglobal.com



The opportunity for technological leapfrogging has seen Japan, South Korea and Singapore explore at least three sophisticated concepts for high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) systems over the past five years. However, all three nations have recently sought to buy the US Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, potentially paving the way for bilateral or even a multinational enhancement effort on that system.

While initial South Korean concepts were based on a high-altitude autonomous airship aimed at the civil marketplace, that nation now plans to fly a domestically developed military medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV prototype in 2007-8. Total proposed funding is put at $440 million, with initial spending starting this year (Flight International ,1-7 November 2005).continue..