Korea decides to purchase four Global Hawks

The Korean military has decided to buy Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of building its kill chain system.
The kill chain is a pre-emptive missile destruction system and the unmanned spy drone is seen as a core part of the system thanks to its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in countering North Korea’s missile or nuclear attacks.
Should Korea purchase the high-altitude UAVs, they will be deployed in 2017.
In April, the U.S. Congress approved the sale of the four drones to South Korea four years after an initial request. However, its higher-than-estimated cost, led Seoul to reconsider its plan and bidding process to lower the price with other potential deals on the table, including Boeing’s Phantom Eye and AeroVironment’s Global Observer, both of which failed to meet required operational capability.
koreatimes