Posted on 08/31/2011 9:26:44 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Exclusive: Obama moves to sell Northrop drones to South Korea
Wed, Aug 31 2011
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has begun consulting Congress on plans to sell remotely piloted Global Hawk surveillance planes to South Korea, which came close to all-out war with North Korea last year, two people familiar with the matter said.
Among those briefed have been the Senate's and House of Representatives' foreign affairs committees, which have jurisdiction over arms sales, the people familiar with the matter said.
There was no immediate word on when formal notification of a proposed sale might take place, nor on the potential overall value.
South Korea has been under pressure to boost surveillance capabilities over North Korea after two attacks against it killed 50 people last year, driving tensions on the Korean peninsula to the highest levels in decades.
Talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program in return for aid have stalled since 2008 and the United Nations imposed new tough sanctions after Pyongyang conducted its second nuclear test and missile tests the following year.
Northrop Grumman, which builds the high-flying, long-endurance airframe, said Seoul was considering buying four RQ-4 Global Hawk "Block 30" drones, which can carry intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads.
Associated ground stations would be included in such a sale, Gemma Loochkartt, a company spokeswoman, said by email on Wednesday. Deliveries could take place in 2014 and 2015 if a government-to-government deal is signed this year, she said.
The Block 30 airframes sell for roughly $30 million apiece, not including their payloads. Raytheon Co's "Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite" lets the aircraft scan large swaths and transmit
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Using Reuters logic South Korea and the United States come close to all out war with North Korea almost every year.
At first I thought it said North Korea. Why wouldn’t I have been surprised?
This worries me, how far in will they penetrate or will they fly along the coast? If we loose one, what can the glom from the crash site and remains and IMHO they would share it with the ChiComs....Talk me down from the ledge here, IMHO this is not good....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.