http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/68563
巴黎航展:“全球鷹”無人機遭遇華盛頓打擊
2011-06-24
[據英國《飛行國際》網站2011年6月19日報導]在經歷了政治和採辦程式方面的一番周折之後,諾斯羅普•格魯門公司的RQ-4“全球鷹”項目出現在巴黎航展。
圖片來源:諾斯羅普•格魯門公司
針對該無人機最近一次的攻擊發生在6月17日,美國參議院軍事委員會通過一項修正案強制給美國空軍一個新要求。空軍官員被禁止退役洛克希德公司的U-2“龍夫人”(Dragon Lady),除非軍方能夠證實RQ-4的使用成本將更低。U-2項目已持續了超過60年,儘管飛機製造一直延續至1989年。
該項目曾兩次違反納恩•麥柯迪法,即如果一個專案預算超出25%以上則需要說明其合理性。
參議院的提案是在負責採辦、技術和後勤的國防部副部長阿什頓•卡特簽署該專案相關的一份新的採辦決策備忘錄後作出的。
在6月14日的備忘錄中,卡特指出,雖然偵察無人機對於“國家安全必不可少”,但他已取消了Block 30型“全球鷹”採購計畫中的11架,使採購數量變為31架。今年二月,Block 40型的採購數量也減少了11架,節省的費用用於Block 30型和20型機隊所需的改進。
一個星期前,一份Block 30型“全球鷹”作戰測試和評估報告公之於眾,該報告指出該型無人機在去年進行的作戰測試中僅取得了27%的“有效戰位時間”,尚不到空軍要求(55%)的一半。
諾斯羅普官員認為這些挫折或許會令項目因禍得福,使官員們將精力極重要解決系統的可靠性問題。諾斯羅普還表示在作戰測試中識別的很多問題已經得到解決。(中國航空工業發展研究中心 許贇)
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/19/358206/paris-global-hawk-takes-washington-beating.html
DATE:19/06/11
SOURCE:Flight Daily News
PARIS: Global Hawk takes Washington beating
By Zach Rosenberg
The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk programme enters the Paris air show after a series of setbacks in the political and acquisition process.
The latest shot at the unmanned air vehicle came on 17 June when the Senate Armed Services Committee passed an amendment imposing a new requirement on the US Air Force. Service officials would be prohibited from retiring the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady unless the military confirms that the RQ-4 will cost less to operate. The U-2 programme is more than 60 years old, although airframes were built up to 1989.
The project has twice breached the Nunn-McCurdy Act, requiring justification if a programme is more than 25% over budget.
The Senate's proposal came only a few days after the programme was stung by a new acquisition decision memorandum signed by Ashton Carter, undersecretary of defence for acquisition, technology and logistics.
In the 14 June memorandum, Carter noted that although the reconnaissance UAV is "essential to national security," he has cancelled 11 planned purchases of the Block 30 Global Hawk, leaving 31 Block 30s on the orderbooks. In February, the Block 40 Global Hawk programme was also cut by 11 aircraft to pay for required improvements in the Block 30 and Block 20 fleet.
One week earlier, an operational test and evaluation report of operational Block 30 Global Hawk was made public, noting that the aircraft in operational tests last year achieved an "effective time on station" of 27%, or less than half of the air force's mandatory 55% rate.
Northrop officials have argued that the setbacks may be a blessing in disguise for the programme, allowing officials to focus on resolving the system's reliability issues. Northrop also has said that many of the problems identified during operational testing have already been resolved.