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RQ-4K Global Hawk

The RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk made its first landing in the Republic of South Korea in October 2017 for the 2017 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX). The Seoul ADEX is held every year to give American service members a chance to showcase their various aircraft and equipment to the Korean public. ADEX is one of the largest, most comprehensive events to be held in Northeast Asia attracting aviation and aerospace professionals, key defense personnel and aviation enthusiasts from the local community. “The Global Hawk was chosen to be apart of ADEX this year because we are looking to expand our capabilities and let everyone know what the aircraft is capable of,” said Capt. Justin Stone, 69th Maintenance Squadron operations officer. “Our goal is to inform the public, the military and our Department of Defense partners what we can provide with the RQ-4.”

South Korea signed a Letter of Agreement on March 26, 2014. The South Korean Global Hawk program is a $693M FMS case (KS-D-SAD) to purchase 4 GH Block 30-I aircraft (capable for export,) 2 ground control elements (1 fixed, 1 transportable) and 2 spare engines. The anticipated contract award date is December 29, 2014 and the first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to South Korea in the 4th quarter of FY 2018. The initial efforts in this case will deliver the aircraft with the Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite with the potential to add other payloads later in the program.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress 21 December 2019 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Korea for four RQ-4 Block 30 (I) Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) requested a possible sale of four (4) RQ-4 Block 30 (I) Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft with the Enhanced Integrated Sensor Suite (EISS). The EISS includes infrared/electro-optical, synthetic aperture radar imagery and ground moving target indicator, mission control element, launch and recovery element, signals intelligence package, an imagery intelligence exploitation system, test equipment, ground support, operational flight test support, communications equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $1.2 billion.

The Republic of Korea is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and a key partner of the United States in ensuring peace and stability in that region. The Republic of Korea needs this intelligence and surveillance capability to assume primary responsibility for intelligence gathering from the U.S. led Combined Forces Command in 2015. The proposed sale of the RQ-4 will maintain adequate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and will ensure the alliance is able to monitor and deter regional threats in 2015 and beyond. Korea will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces.

The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman Corporation in Palmdale, California. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. The proposed sale of this system will not alter the basic military balance in the region. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Korea.

The kill chain is a pre-emptive missile destruction system and along with the independent, low-tier missile shield, or the Korea Air and Missile Defense System, Seoul's core element against Pyongyang's missile threats. A senior official of US aerospace giant Northrop Grumman told The Korea Times said that the surveillance drone will help the country independently counter possible North Korean missile and nuclear attacks without US aid. "You recognize there is a threat against South Korea and it has determined to name its ability to fight the threat, a kill chain system. The system is only as good as its eyes and the Global Hawk is the eye of the kill chain system," said Richard Weir, director of Corporate Global Business Development at Northrop Grumman during an interview. "The Global Hawk is able to see deep into enemy territory and help provide indications and warnings that are important for the remainder of the kill chain system to respond to an active threat."

When the MU-2C is powered up in 2017, military officials said that the kill-chain, which responds to North Korea's nuclear and missiles, will operate in earnest, along with the RQ-4K Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle, which will be introduced sequentially from 2019. The National Institute of Defense Science set the completion date for the development of new ballistic missiles in 2017 in the five-year development plan, which is updated every year, and planned to develop and deploy new ballistic missiles with the range of 800 km. Following President Park Geun-hye's ambitious missile range extension plan, the ROK military has recently begun deploying a UWB-2B ballistic missile with a range of 500 km. It is known that development has progressed to a considerable level, such as entering the simulation stage. The new 800-2km missile-2C missiles can be placed in the range of North Korea even when launched from a guided missile headquarters located at the center of the central region. It is expected that this will rise significantly.

“It is a blatant act of hostility against us and dangerous military action that will destroy peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and bring the end of the inter-Korean relations,” said North Korea through a propaganda media towards South Korea, such as Uriminzokkiri, on the South’s RQ-4 Global Hawk project in May last year. The North also showed a sense of wariness by using extreme expressions, such as “the fuse for South Korea’s invasion of the North,” “perilous intention” and “anachronistic delusion for confrontations.” North Korea also criticized the project in April this year, which marks the second anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, saying that the continuous introduction of cutting-edge military equipment by the South is to preemptively attack the North in case of emergency and that it is a public declaration to begin South Korea’s scheme in full force to invade North Korea along with foreign powers.

North Korea’s sensitive reactions to the deployment of RQ-4 Global Hawk stem from the aircraft’s reconnaissance ability over the country. RQ-4 Global Hawk can surveil the entire territory of the North as it has a maximum radius of operations of up to 3,000 kilometers. It can also fly for over 32 hours and identify a 30-centimeter object on the ground at an altitude of 20 kilometers. This will enable the South Korean military to independently detect the military movements by North Korea, such as those regarding intercontinental ballistic missiles and super-large multiple rocket launchers, in real-time.