| QUOTE (yourfather) |
| And the GH looks like it might be approved for sale soon, especially the BAMs version. |
| QUOTE |
| Unmanned and Unrestrained Section: PARIS AIR SHOW 2007 High- and low-end unmanned aircraft sales are showing no signs of weakness The global demand for unmanned aircraft is far from abating, with Singapore looking to overcome international opposition to buying Global Hawks and European industrial rivals lining up to meet long-standing demand for medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) surveillance systems. After abandoning its own high-altitude UAV development, Singapore has been talking to the U.S. about the sale of two Global Hawks. The proposal hit a snag earlier this year when members of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)--a multi-government export-control mechanism--did not approve the transaction, according to a program official. Frustrated by the delay, the U.S. government is ready to proceed unilaterally as the terms of the international agreement allow. Singapore has money for the program in its 2008 budget. (:huh: Hmmm) Due to limited airspace in the Southeast Asian city-state, the UAVs would likely be based in Guam, where the Pentagon is setting up a U.S. Global Hawk facility to cover Pacific theater needs. The U.S. Air Force and Global Hawk developer Northrop Grumman are also talking to Spain and South Korea about purchase of Global Hawks, though neither of those sales is expected to get tangled in MTCR problems. |
| QUOTE (MilFan @ Jun 15 2008, 12:31 AM) |
| Based in Guam .... A service-lease agreement from US operated birds, or RSAF personnel gets a new location for overseas posting? |
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| Some dozen U.S. allies including Japan, Australia and Singapore have wanted to purchase the aircraft. But the U.S. has regularly declined. Overseas sales are prohibited under the Missile Technology Control Regime, a voluntary association of 33 countries, including Korea, that share the goal of non-proliferation of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. But according to sources, the U.S. has devised a new way not prohibited under the MTCR to sell the Global Hawk to Korea. |
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The BAMS UAS is to be an integral part of the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. As an adjunct to the P-8A, the BAMS UAS will provide persistent maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to join forces and Fleet commanders worldwide. This capability will enhance maritime domain awareness and improve force protection capabilities for the Fleet and the nation. |
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http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/776574.html Unmanned aircraft may be tapped for storm duty By KAREN NELSON - klnelson@sunherald.com MOSS POINT -- Something that's being manufactured in part right here on the Coast could forever change the face of hurricane predictions, hurricane monitoring and even hurricane relief. It's the Global Hawk unmanned airplane, a vehicle with surveillance and communication capabilities that make it invaluable to ground troops during a war. But whether it's detecting land mines in a faraway country or monitoring contraflow in a hurricane evacuation, it's all the same equipment, officials with Northrop Grumman said Wednesday. TIM ISBELL / SUN HERALD - George Guerra, vice president of HALE Systems, talks to the gathered employees of the Moss Point facility and the media about the importance of the unmanned systems currently under development. And if Gustav becomes enough of a threat, the Global Hawk's capabilities might get a hurricane test run. "There are three at Beale (Air Force Base) in California," said Edward A. Walby, director of business development for the Global Hawk. "One could fly here and sit over a hurricane for 18 hours before it has to fly back." Northrop Grumman unveiled some of the aircraft's capabilities at a celebration at the factory where the fuselages are manufactured, on the grounds of the Trent Lott International Airport north of Interstate 10. The Global Hawk cruises at 60,000 feet, an altitude that gives it a broad perspective and keeps it out of the way of other air traffic. But at that altitude, with special radar, infrared and high-definition capability, it can monitor hurricane wind and wave action on the legs of an oil rig throughout a hurricane. Thwarting communication breakdowns during and after a storm, it can act as a giant antenna for ground communications of all types - translating one form of communication to another (e.g., cell phones to CB radio) and patching communication between first responders and the outside world. Though it hasn't been used in a hurricane, it has been used to aid firefighters during California wildfires, charting fire paths and enhancing communications. "I'm confident that if it's significant, it would be used," Walby said. NASA is in line for two that are expected to be flying early next year, he said. Those will likely be part of a NOAA mission to vastly improve the data gathered on hurricanes, tracking them from the time they spin off the coast of Africa until they reach the U.S. Walby estimated work could begin as early as next hurricane season with a goal of improving predictions by as much as two days. And using an unmanned vehicle for monitoring could spare the Hurricane Hunters and reserve them for special projects only, he said. Imaging capability during a storm can locate people lost at sea and it will also assist in studying climate changes. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Border Patrol are looking at uses. Both the Air Force and the Navy have orders in. |
| QUOTE (F-14D Tomcat @ 29 AUG 2008) |
Remember Gulf War 1991? At that time, many including the pilots were sceptical that the F-117A stealth sh_t really works. What convinced them were dead bats lying on the ground around the aircraft in its hardened shelters in Saudi Arabia. Bats use a form of sonar to see at night. The stealth sh_t worked so well that the bats were flying blindly into the F-117 airframes. Talk about 'Blind as a bat'... |
| QUOTE (F-177A Nighthawk @ Venik's Aviation Page) |
The story of "dead bats" in fact has nothing to do with the F-117A's "stealthy" properties. Bats use ultrasonic signals for echolocation: these are mechanical compression waves not electromagnetic waves, as in case with radars, and have certainly nothing to do with the radar absorbent paint or any geometrical properties of the F-117A. The ultrasonic signals emitted by bats are narrow and highly directional and will reflect from most surfaces, RAM or no RAM. To explain the "dead bats" phenomenon we only need to remember that the F-117As use highly toxic paint and that the aircraft were stored in hot hangars with restricted ventilation. If the maintenance crews have spent as much time in these hangars as bats did, the bodies of bats would not have been the only dead bodies found around F-117As. |
| QUOTE (edie101 @ Oct 13 2008, 12:13 PM) |
| anyone here can confirm if LALEE project is dead? |
| QUOTE (gary1910 @ Oct 13 2008, 09:19 PM) | ||
I think so, I think YF has posted something on the subject. |
