Global Squawk -- Strategy Page
July 3, 2009: The U.S. Air Force is not happy with the manufacturer of the RQ-4 Global Hawk (Northrop Grumman). The unending delays are the major beef. For example, after nearly three years of delays, the first Block 40 RQ-4 was finished on June 25th. While most of the delays were with the AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, there were problems with the RQ-4 as well. On top of that, the average price per RQ-4 went up 13 percent (from $91 million to $103 million) in the last two years. The air force ordered three Block 40 aircraft in June. These models have the highly detailed AESA radar for searching the ground (or water) in any weather. Commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan really want these Block 40 Global Hawks, and the Department of Defense has ordered the air force to clean up the management mess and get it done. The problem here is that the manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, has had problems managing this project since the beginning, and has consistently responded with more excuses than solutions.
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Update: New generation of UAVs displayed -- UPI
My Comment: Production of large numbers of Global Hawks will bring the price down .... but production and cost problems is something that a budget conscious military does not like to hear right now.
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