美 국방성, RQ-4 Global Hawk 가격상승 우려 소식...

 

미 국방성과 공군이 Northrop Grumman 이 제작하고 있는 RQ-4 Global Hawk 의 가격 상승에 대해서 우려하고 있다는 AW&ST

최신호 기사를 소개합니다.

 

최근 Global Hawk Block 40 에 장착되는 MP-RTIP sensor 의 성능 만족에도 불구하고, 국방성과 공군 고위 인사들로부터 가격

상승에 대한 우려가 지속되고 있다는 내용입니다.

 

이에 대해서 제작사 Northrop Grumman 측은, 미 공군이 도입하는 총 물량 77대 전체에 대한 평균가격에는 변함이 없다는 반응

입니다.

 

지난 4월에 소개했던 RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 관련 자료와 소식을 링크합니다. 자료는 파일공유를 통해 받아가시면 됩니다.

 

--->  RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40

 

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Sweet and Sour

Global Hawk sensor achieves milestone amid criticism from top customer

Aviation Week &Space Technology, 06/28/2010

Author: Amy Butler

 

The Global Hawk unmanned aerial system and its bevy of sensors are experiencing technical progress, but it comes amid criticism from its top customer.

 

This contradictory mix appears to be an unanticipated consequence of the Pentagon’s once-hailed “spiral development” procurement process, which involves developing, testing and fielding technology incrementally as it matures. Global Hawk became the U.S. Air Force’s spiral poster child. But constantly fielding new technology and addressing new requirements are unintentionally impinging on program managers’ ability to stabilize cost.

 

Four Global Hawks (three Block 10 USAF vehicles and one Navy) are consistently providing intelligence on Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa and the Strait of Hormuz, from Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates; while in Washington, debate continues about the path forward for the $13.7-billion Northrop Grumman program.

 

Following a meeting last week, Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter is mulling Lot 9 production as well as reviewing Air Force progress in developing Block 20s (with the urgently needed Battlefield Airborne Communications, or BACN, payload); Block 30, with the Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP); and Block 40, with the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor.

 

Global Hawk is intended to replace the high-flying U-2, but maturity in the Block 30 sigint version — which can eventually assume the U-2’s sigint-collection mission — is a requirement and has yet to be realized. This month, Air Force senior acquisition executive David Van Buren complained about price and performance. He says both the government and the aircraft’s contractors — Raytheon is a major subcontractor on the camera and radar — must be more responsive to solicitations, reduce cost, and improve turnaround for parts on deployed aircraft.

 

Van Buren established a blue-ribbon panel earlier this year to review the program. And he is awaiting the results of a “should cost” report for Global Hawk Block 30 and beyond; it will cover air vehicle and sensor cost and is expected in September at the latest.

 

“We are not happy with the cost of the air vehicle and the sensors,” Van Buren says. “I’m not happy with the pace of the program…both the government side and the contractor side need to do better in the future.” The company is now working on a proposal for Lot 9. Van Buren says Northrop Grumman is taking too long to craft a bid.

 

“We have sensor proposals that, as you get down the learning curve, the prices go up,” Van Buren says. An industry official, however, says the company has agreed to a 60-day turnaround time at Van Buren’s request. The Lot 10 buy includes aircraft, but also new elements are taking time to address. These include the first production ASIPs and MP-RTIP radars.

 

As a result of using the spiral development approach, the industry official notes that the typical contracting methods and learning curves cannot be applied to Global Hawk because a new capability is always being added, reducing the opportunity to exploit a standard price reduction during the production process.

 

Northrop Grumman acknowledges that “there have been cost spikes within production lots [of sensors] due to the quantity procured within each lot,” but “overall cost of the air vehicle and sensors is trending down,” says Cynthia Curiel, a company spokeswoman. “Additional cost reductions have been identified by the company and will be evaluated.” In some cases, the amount procured fluctuates, contributing to higher cost year-to-year.

 

Van Buren also says turnaround time for repairing line replaceable units (LRUs) for the Raytheon EISS camera is too slow for aircraft supporting the war. Various Defense Department sources note that the Air Force chose not to fund sustainment of the Block 10s, including spare parts, and they are now feeling the consequences.

 

The Block 10s were never intended for operational use, but were pressed into service following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They are operating “well above what people anticipated,” Curiel says. Raytheon is establishing an interim repair line for the LRUs. The company is also exploring whether some repairs can be handled in the field.

 

Meanwhile, developers at Han­scom AFB, Mass., have turned over the MP-RTIP radar sensor in preparation for integration on the Global Hawk Block 40. The milestone was achieved on June 15 when a developmental unit reached Edwards AFB, Calif., for ground testing. A production version will be placed onto a Global Hawk Block 40 aircraft, says Col. Jim Shaw, Air Force MP-RTIP program manager. This production sensor will begin flight trials on the Global Hawk in January.

 

It will first be flown on the Proteus testbed for six weeks to validate its data against that collected by the developmental models. Then, in September or October, it will be installed on the Block 40 aircraft, says George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman’s MP-RTIP manager; the sensor is being developed jointly with Raytheon.

 

Included in the delivery will be software for the long-awaited and first-ever concurrent radar modes. These are designed to allow the sensor to capture swath or spot synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of a target without breaking a ground moving-target indicator (GMTI) track. Today, Joint Stars operators, who use a GMTI radar, must cease tracking while collecting an image. Also included is the ability to gather High-Range Resolution data, which are very accurate measurements of targets. Shaw says this feature has been demonstrated.

 

This milestone was slated for spring 2009 but delayed to allow developers more time to resolve software issues.

 

In total, developers have executed 259 flight tests and 1,062 hr. of operational radar time for MP-RTIP on the high-flying Proteus during developmental test, Shaw says.

 

The Northrop Grumman/Raytheon MP-RTIP sensor, measuring 1.5 X 4 ft., is an active, electronically scanned array radar. Flight trials of MP-RTIP on the Proteus aircraft concluded June 12, says Shaw. Developmental testing on Proteus of the standard SAR and GMTI modes was completed last year after officials solved radar-calibration issues in 2008.

 

Tracking so-called dismounted soldiers, or individuals, on the battlefield constitutes one of the biggest challenges for commanders in the field. Vardou­lakis says that during a recent Air Force/Army test at Ft. Irwin, Calif., MP-RTIP was flown on Proteus and demonstrated the ability to follow individuals.

 

“We never got to a place where we were surprised by the results,” he says. This, however, was not a required specification.

 

A top request for commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq has been more GMTI data. Although flight testing MP-RTIP and the Block 40 Global Hawk is not slated to begin until next year, Vardoulakis says the company has proposed delivering two air vehicles and sensor packages to the Air Force for potential deployment by year-end.

 

The highest Global Hawk priority right now is delivering two Block 20 air vehicles with the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node. The first is expected in theater in September, with the second to follow in November, says Lt. Col. Alberto Cruz, director of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing Commander’s Action Group at Beale AFB, Calif.

 

The Air Force plans to buy 77 Global Hawks, including Blocks 20, 30 and 40. Twenty-two MP-RTIP units will be delivered; another six to go to NATO for its Alliance Ground Surveillance system.

 

 

  ⓒ USAF

 

  ⓒ USAF