It will also have strategic surveillance and intelligence platforms as part of our broader ISTAR capability, including: E-3D Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) to provide airborne command, control and surveillance; Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft to provide independent strategic intelligence gathering; and a range of remotely piloted air systems.
We only have 1 "remotely piloted air system" at present and I suspect it will link to
The U.K. MoD has recently launched its Scavenger ISTAR requirement with the aim of down-selecting a winning UAV design in 2012. The UAV will be optimised for deep and persistent ISTAR beyond the UK’s existing General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper armed UAV. The down-select will, of course, depend on the outcome of the UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which is due to be concluded by September 2010. Scavenger will be a sub-element of a wider ISTAR project, now known as Soloman, but previously entitled Dabinett and intended to improve the analysis and dissemination of intelligence.
and then
SOURCE:Flight International
Northrop Grumman eyes UK Global Hawk sale
By Andrew Doyle
Northrop Grumman is looking at innovative financing options in an effort to further its "aspiration" of selling Global Hawk unmanned air systems to the UK, despite looming cuts to the country's defence budget.
The US company expects to hold discussions with UK Ministry of Defence officials at this month's Farnborough air show about the potential use of the Global Hawk to meet UK surveillance requirements.
Ian Milne, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems vice-president for the UK, Scandinavia and the Baltics, says the company is prepared to look at a service-provision arrangement as the UK's tight defence budget may preclude an outright sale.
Could the Global Hawk meet the UK's Scavenger requirements ?
The large UAV platform is being offered in competition with several others to meet the UK's Scavenger requirement, which seeks a persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability to enter use from around 2015 to 2018.
The Global Hawk has already been selected by NATO, and the Euro Hawk version being developed together with EADS to meet Germany's signals intelligence needs recently had its first flight.
"If you look at the range of roles that the Global Hawk is currently doing, from broad area maritime surveillance using SAR/GMTI radars, to SIGINT packages, to lots of other things, there may well be an opportunity in the future if the UK decides a substantial UAV could take on some of these roles," says Milne.
For a UK acquisition of Global Hawk, he says there are "innovative business models we could consider, rather than saying 'here is the unit price, goodbye'. Maybe we could do some form of power-by-the-hour, or surveillance-by-the-square-kilometre. This is something that the company is going to have to offer if it is to address markets that are fiscally stretched, such as the UK."
Northrop believes that the long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle hybrid airship - recently selected by the US Army - could also be a candidate for Scavenger. The company is partnered with UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles for the project.
Global Hawk could easily replace Sentinel and more...