[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense video] How Many Global Hawks Will Be Deployed in October Operations?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Our Air Force's high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, the "Global Hawk" (RQ-4), is set to be actively deployed in its first operation this October. It is reported that the 2nd and 3rd Global Hawk (RQ-4) units, which will be operated as strategic weapons by the South Korean military, are expected to arrive in the country this month, meaning that more than one unit will likely be deployed in operations. Initially, the military planned to deploy the first Global Hawk unit in operations to independently collect video intelligence within North Korea after North Korea launched nine projectiles in four separate launches last month.

According to government officials on the 9th, Northrop Grumman, the U.S. manufacturer, and the South Korean Air Force acquisition team are currently finalizing preparations to transport the 2nd and 3rd Global Hawk units to South Korea this month. The first Global Hawk unit arrived at the Sacheon Air Base in Gyeongnam Province last December. One Global Hawk set consists of four aircraft. Units 2 through 4, produced in the U.S., are undergoing software modifications related to the braking system and are currently completing test flights. Repairs on the all-weather synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which had experienced defects, are also in the final stages. The video intelligence processing system (target imaging → analysis → information transmission), which will interpret the video intelligence collected by the Global Hawk, is expected to arrive next month.

The Global Hawk is a satellite-level unmanned reconnaissance aircraft capable of identifying objects as small as 0.3 meters on the ground from an altitude of 20 km using special high-performance radar and infrared detection equipment. It can conduct operational flights lasting 38 to 42 hours per sortie, with an operational radius of 3,000 km, allowing surveillance beyond the Korean Peninsula. It has a wingspan of 35.4 meters, a length of 14.5 meters, a height of 4.6 meters, a maximum cruising speed of 250 km/h, and a weight of 11,600 kg. The Air Force has established a reconnaissance flight squadron to operate the Global Hawk.

To prepare for the operational deployment of the first Global Hawk unit, the Air Force completed the "Global Hawk (RQ-4) Operation Manual" at the end of last year. However, it is considered highly likely that the Global Hawk could be targeted by North Korea's surface-to-air missiles such as the SA-5 (Gammon, with a maximum range of 260 to 300 km). Accordingly, the Air Force plans to supplement the operation manual based on operational experience gained from the first deployment in October.

Additionally, pilot and maintenance personnel training will be completed before October to enable the Global Hawk's operational deployment. In September 2018, the military signed a Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) contract worth $53.8 million (approximately 59.1 billion KRW) with Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of the Global Hawk. According to the contract, Northrop Grumman will dispatch 28 employees to South Korea to develop training manuals and complete maintenance technical support and training by October this year.

The Global Hawk does not have signal collection equipment. To compensate, the military plans to utilize reconnaissance aircraft such as the Geumgang and Baekdu (RC-800) and the Saemae (RF-16). The RF-16, nicknamed "Saemae," flies near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and Northern Limit Line (NLL) to collect video intelligence related to North Korean forces. The upgraded Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft, updated in 2017, can detect North Korea's electronic intelligence (Elint) and communications intelligence (Comint), capturing activities such as radar operation and the content of wired and wireless communications.

Some critics argue that the military's decision not to publicly hold induction ceremonies for the 2nd and 3rd Global Hawk units, following the first unit, reflects an excessively "low-key" approach to introducing strategic weapons.