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Hundreds of Jobs Hinge on Global Hawk

The Pentagon wants to buy five of Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk aircraft in fiscal 2010. Congress, however, may opt to buy just two.

The delay of three aircraft could mean the loss of 500 to 600 jobs in Rancho Bernardo, where Northrop does office work related to the unmanned spy plane, Northrop business development executive Ed Walby said last week.

Congress could make its budget decision before summer is over.

The Pentagon, in its May budget request for the new fiscal year, asked for $668 million to buy five Global Hawks for the Air Force. The order would contain three of Northrop’s latest models, equipped with a sophisticated new radar system, plus two aircraft with gear to intercept enemy communications.

Aviation Week reported June 26 that the committee drafting the Pentagon spending bill proposes buying two, rather than five, Global Hawks.

Walby said he understands the three planes equipped with the sophisticated radar, called Block 40 aircraft, are left out of that budget scenario. Northrop could lose 1,350 U.S. jobs if that happens, Walby said.

Northrop Grumman has 1,900 people in Rancho Bernardo working on Global Hawk. Salaries range from $50,000 to $200,000 with an average salary of $100,000, said company representatives.


Aircraft Supporters

A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, whose district includes the Palmdale plant where the aircraft is built, said McKeon opposes such a cut.

“Intelligence surveillance reconnaissance platforms are in high demand in Iraq and Afghanistan, as evidenced by the secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs’ testimony before Congress,” said Lindsey Mask, adding McKeon “will work with the appropriators to ensure our forces have these critical tools.” McKeon is ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee and a founder of its unmanned aerial vehicle caucus.

Ultimately, the Air Force wants to build 54 Global Hawk aircraft. The Navy wants to build 68 similar aircraft under its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program. Northrop plans to deliver the first Navy aircraft in 2012 and make it operational in 2015, Walby said.

A similar aircraft for Germany, called Euro Hawk, will be unveiled this year and have its first flight in 2010. Northrop may build as many as six of those aircraft.

South Korea has also expressed interest in Global Hawk.

Global Hawks can fly as high as 11 miles and stay in the air for upward of 32 hours. Not all aircraft are the same. They come with very different electronics packages.


Unveiling

Walby was master of ceremonies when Northrop rolled out the Block 40 Global Hawk at a Hollywood-like ceremony June 25 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale.

What sets Block 40 apart is its payload , a sophisticated radar called MP-RTIP (short for multi-platform radar technology insertion program), which can track moving targets on the ground and in the air. The Air Force is planning to buy 15 of the Block 40 variety.

“At $9.5 billion, this program is immense,” said Steve Amburgey, program director for Global Hawk at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Asking whether the audience should dismiss the unveiling of the Block 40 aircraft as a Northrop Grumman marketing pitch, Amburgey said, “I don’t work for Northrop. I work for the Air Force. This is the real deal.”

Commanders are saying they will take the aircraft as quickly as Northrop can make them, Amburgey said.


Operational Savings

Walby says using the Global Hawk to gather intelligence is a money-saver when stacked up next to Lockheed Martin’s U-2 spy plane. The unmanned Global Hawk costs less than $13,000 per flight hour, Walby said. The manned U-2 costs twice as much to operate.

In a separate part of its 2010 budget request, the Pentagon asked Congress to set aside $317 million to test the Air Force version of Global Hawk, and $466 million to test the Navy version.

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