Global Hawk Crash
The LA times reported today (11th July) that a second Global Hawk has crashed in Afghanistan/Pakistan (the first crashed on 30th Dec on approach to Al Dhafra in the UAE on recovery). Add this to UAV-2 which crashed in March 99 and that makes 3 out of the original purchase of 5 airframes destroyed within 3 years.
The loss rate of UAVs is now around 100 that of manned aircraft such as the U-2. They are also now almost as expensive to buy as manned aircraft with the price of the Hawk airframe escalating through $25 million and the full system price being between $70-90 million, including sensors, depending how calculate it. The original target price was $16-20 million each.
There is an increasing USAF and congressional block who want to go slow down purchases of unmanned aircraft and argue it would be cheaper and safer to build new U-2s. Within the UAV lobby, there is increasing support for the new turboprop-powered Predator B, of which 10 could be purchased, with sensors, for the price of a single Global Hawk.
The main advantages of the Global Hawk are it's operating height, endurance and un-refuelled range.
The main Global Hawk program is still in the EMD phase with the first two production airframes to be delivered in 2003 and with the OTE phase and Milestone 3 decision in 2004.