DoD cuts RQ-4 Blk 30, spares other UAVs

Jan 26, 2012 by Zach Rosenberg – Flight Global

Washington DC - Northrop Grumman projects advance despite a budget cut to one of the company's highest-profile programmes. The RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 will be cut, according to media reports. The aged Lockheed Martin U-2, which the Block 30 is intended to replace, will continue to fly for the foreseeable future. Fourteen Block 30s aircraft have been delivered, with the government committed to another seven aircraft. The total inventory will effectively be capped at 21 aircraft, a cut of 10 from the most recently-provided total.

"The Block 30 priced itself out of the niche for taking pictures from the air," said Ashton Carter, under secretary of defense of acquisition, technology and logistics. "That's the fate of things that become too expensive in a resource-constrained environment."

The project has twice breached the Nunn-McCurdy Act, requiring justification if a programme is more than 25% over budget, and has received mixed reviews in official evaluations.

Another variant of the troubled Global Hawk programme, the Block 40, of which the Air Force has ordered 11, will continue unabated. The Navy's MQ-4C broad area maritime surveillance (BAMS) variant, similar in configuration to the Block 30, will also continue.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator series of systems, including the MQ-1B Predator, MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle, were spared major changes. The DoD will continue with plans to procure 65 combat air patrols (CAP) of Reapers, with each system comprised of four aircraft a piece. The Air Force will be able to surge to 85 CAPs, though details of where the aircraft will come from were not immediately available.

Northrop released a statement saying the company was "disappointed with the Pentagon's decision, and plans to work with the Pentagon to assess alternatives to program termination."

Despite the setback, Northrop continues to advance BAMS and other programmes. The multi-function active sensor (MFAS) radar made its first flight, and there are no intentions of delaying the aircraft buy. The first aircraft is under construction, scheduled for first flight in the second quarter of 2012.