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| Wed Oct 3, 2007 6:43pm EDT By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The United States is proposing to share one of its most advanced reconnaissance aircraft with at least 11 countries in an effort to boost security in Asia and the Pacific. With its advanced radar, optical and infrared sensors, it will become a key U.S. intelligence asset in Asia and the Pacific when it starts flying from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam in 2009. Partner countries could allow alternative landing and launch sites for the Global Hawk. The United States is initially pitching the Global Hawk consortium idea to Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Brunei and Sri Lanka. Reuters |
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| Monday, 10 August 2009 00:54 by Tiffany Sukola Guam will be the first location outside the continental U.S. to have a Global Hawk unit. AAFB officials announced Friday that three of the highly sophisticated planes and the personnel who will operate the units are set to arrive on island as early as next summer. According to Lt. Col. Brandon Baker, the Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft that can be used for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance missions. The Global Hawk, which has a wing span of about 130 feet, is capable of flying up to 391 miles per hour. Baker said the Global Hawk also has the potential to serve the civilian population during humanitarian missions. Baker said that the plane can be used to collect data in the event of a natural disaster such as earthquakes and typhoons. Baker added that because of Guam’s strategic location, the Global Hawk unit and the 90 member crew necessary to operate the aircraft will be permanently based on island. The first Global Hawk is expected during the summer of 2010, with the additional two arriving in 2012. Marianas Variety |