DoD Official Touts Global Hawk Teamwork Success

Published: Apr 20, 2006
Source: aimpoints.hq.af.mil



WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Northrop Grumman Corp.'s (NOC) Global Hawk combat drone could become a success story for Air Force-Navy teamwork, despite the spotty track record of previous collaborations, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The Navy recently received its first test model of the giant reconnaissance robots, which can stay airborne for 24 hours at a time. The Air Force already has a number of the aircraft, which have been in heavy use in the Middle East.

"What we need to do is allow the Navy to explore whether or not that platform (Global Hawk) is in fact a good platform for their capability," said Diane Wright, the Pentagon's acquisition director for air warfare systems, during a Precision Strike Association panel discussion.

"At that point, there's a whole bunch of different ways to do this. It has potential to have the different services buy off of a single-service production line," Wright said.

Global Hawk is struggling to cope with delays and cost growth from extra military requirements. At a recent House Armed Services Committee panel hearing, the Government Accountability Office said the Pentagon chose a purchase plan that was too ambitious to run smoothly.

But the Air Force has not wavered in its support for the drones, and Navy officials welcomed delivery of their first aircraft in late March, a few weeks before a major training exercise.continue..