US to Begin Delivering Global Hawks to Republic of Korea in 2018

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States will start delivering Global Hawk long-range unmanned aircrafts for the Republic of Korea's Air Force in 2018, according to the statement by the defense contractor Northrop Grumman released on Monday.

“The company will work closely with the US Air Force to deliver the systems starting in 2018,” the release said, adding that the contract is for four aircraft, two ground stations and supporting equipment. “The systems will provide valuable wide-area intelligence gathering capabilities to military commanders so they can make more informed decisions.”

Mary Petryszyn, vice president of international business in Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems that that will be a vital link in the Republic of Korea's increasing leadership role in defending the peninsula.

"This is a significant achievement for Northrop Grumman because it represents the first time a Global Hawk has been sold to an allied nation in the Asia-Pacific region under the Foreign Military Sales process," she added.

The Global Hawk provides signals intelligence, imagery intelligence and radar to support US military combat and noncombat operations around the globe. It has been used in antiterrorism and antipiracy operations, as well as humanitarian and disaster response operations.