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[Eugen Leitl]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4334395.html

EuroHawk UAV Finally Goes Global

Can a single unmanned aerial vehicle save the NATO alliance? Last week,
German military brass and Northrop Grumman officials unveiled the EuroHawk, a
UAV that performs long-endurance signal intelligence missions at more than
50,000 feet. (EuroHawk is an adapted Global Hawk, which the U.S. Air Force
flies and plans to use to replace the U2 manned spy plane.) There were 300
guests and a lot of fanfare at Edwards Air Force Base during the
eventbespecially considering the sale was for a single aircraft. If all goes
well, Germany might buy four more EuroHawks in 2011. Why are hopes so high
for the limited purchase of this aircraft? The reasons strike at the heart of
some pressing defense issues facing Europe, NATO and the United States.

By Joe Pappalardo Published on: October 19, 2009

KEYWORDS
    * UAV * aircraft * aviation * military * warfare

EuroHawk is a symbol that Europe is finally equipping its military with
modern equipment, which might help bridge a chasm within NATO. European
countries watched as the United States poured money into a host of new
systems for use in Afghanistan and Iraq. These included new sensors,
intelligence-gathering equipment and devices used by ground troops and
commanders that could get real-time video imagery on demand. UAVs were, and
remain, at the heart of the effort. At the same time, European defense
spending languished, and the subsequent technology gulf between NATO allies
is making it difficult for them to work togetherbespecially during a
challenging fight such as NATO faces in Afghanistan, where information is
more critical than bullets. "The lack of a European platform means NATO
relies on the United States for its intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance," says Guy Ben-Ari, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies. "This is a crucial capability for battle-space
management."

For a sense of how far behind the Germans are lagging, take a look at what
the EuroHawk is replacing: the Breguet Atlantic, a 12-person airplane that
was built in 1972. Only two Breguet Atlantics still serve in the German
military, both of them wired for signals intelligence missions. (Known as
"SIGINT," meaning snooping on communications and other electromagnetic
emissions.) Since EuroHawk can stay overhead for long periods of timebmore
than 30 hours at a stretchbit can conduct more intelligence missions than any
manned platform. That's good news for Germany and the rest of NATO. The
treaty requires that Germany pony up a SIGINT platform, and EuroHawk will
fill that membership requirement after the aged Breguets retire.

But NATO has higher hopes than just having its members pay their dues. The
EuroHawk is considered a trailblazer for a languishing NATO flying-radar
programbthe alliance's first big joint procurement in more than 30 years.

Since 1992, NATO has been seeking a new aircraft that took advantage of
improving technology to get a clearer picture of the situations on the
ground. By 2002 they finally formed a joint venture, the Alliance Ground
Surveillance program. Political considerations almost immediately beset the
program. The initial idea was to mount the radar on manned airplanes but
after lengthy debate in 2007, NATO decided to buy unmanned aircraft only for
AGS. The debate and political dithering also took a toll. "It's been an
exercise in frustration," Ben-Ari says. National pride, budgets, lobbying for
roles for each nation's industrial base and the overall need for total
consensus between the 15 nations involved in the program continue to hamper
AGS's development, he says. The hardware was supposed to be flying by 2010;
last week NATO released a statement optimistically projecting that AGS could
be available by 2012.

EuroHawk is a sign of progress amid this foot-dragging, according to Ed
Walby, Grumman's business development director for high-altitude systems.
"EuroHawk is a pathfinder for Europe," Walby says. EuroHawk's adoption will
force Germany to create standards and ways to operate unmanned aircraft in
Europe and beyond. This includes plans for hiring personnel for new
positions, integrating the system into mission planning, training staff and
settling airspace issues. (European airspace is more crowded than U.S.
airspace, so they are eager to figure out how to employ the automatic takeoff
and landing abilities that are instilled in the EuroHawk.) Since European
Union nations share these standards, EuroHawkbwhich is scheduled to be
operational in 2011, a full year before AGS's most recent estimatebwill pave
the way for the unmanned AGS aircraft.

Grumman has an added stake in EuroHawk's success: NATO's 2007 UAV-only
solution specified that the AGS would be based on an upgraded GlobalHawk
Block 40. Grumman has been waiting to make an actual sale from all these
international machinations. No wonder they felt like celebrating the purchase
of a single UAV by Germany.