Germany May Revive Euro Hawk Using MQ-4C

Germany may turn to the U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton to resurrect its Euro Hawk program and claw back some of the almost €600 million ($750 million) invested in the project. The May 2013 cancellation was the result of concerns about the ability of the system to satisfy airworthiness regulations necessary to permit flight in civil airspace. However, another Northrop Grumman Global Hawk derivative—the U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton—may enable the German defense ministry to restart the airborne signals intelligence capability, filling a gap left since the German navy’s fleet of five Br.1150 Atlantique aircraft were retired in 2010.
aviationweek

Germany eyes Euro Hawk revival

The German Air Force is to consider alternative manned and unmanned options should it elect to revive its infamous EUR1.2 billion Northrop Grumman/Airbus RQ-4E Euro Hawk programme, which was cancelled in 2013.
Defence sources within the German Air Force said they were "90%" confident that the Euro Hawk's signals intelligence (SIGINT) payload will fly no later than 2016 on board an alternative platform that has yet to be selected. The air force is understood to be concerned about a lack of SIGINT capability after it ceased operation of the Breguet Br 1150 Atlantic 'Peace Peek' in 2010.
janes

Germany wants to revive Euro Hawk

German Defence Minister wants to revive the high-altitude reconnaissance drone Euro Hawk after the government backed away from plans to buy some last year.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said it had learnt from the defence ministry that it wanted "to get the Euro Hawk drone out of the garage" to be able to test a reconnaissance system for it.
The result of a defence assessment is due to be handed to the ministry on Monday.
Germany backed away last year from its plan to buy four more Euro Hawk drones, which Northrop Grumman Corp developed with Airbus based on the Global Hawk design.
Meeting the standards required to win aviation approval would cost 500 million to 600 million euros. But Northrop remains in long-running talks with the country about the stalled purchase.
The German armed forces had in recent months tested whether the reconnaissance system could be used on other platforms but had found that they could not be.
It said if tests with the Euro Hawk prototypes proved successful, a carrier would need to be purchased and a new version of the Global Hawk was probably the only system that would be considered. The Euro Hawk is based on the Global Hawk.
German news magazine Spiegel also said the Euro Hawk was under discussion again after consulting firm KPMG recommended in a report due to be presented this week remedying gaps in reconnaissance technology equipment in the armed forces with an 'unmanned' aircraft as a carrier.
reuters

Germany halts purchase of armed drones

A scandal over Euro Hawk drones has damaged their reputation in Germany.
Members of the next German government have agreed to postpone the country's purchase of armed drones indefinitely following controversy over their use and cost.
A draft version of the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and the Social Democrats seen by news site Spiegel states: "We categorically reject illegal killings by drones. Germany will support the use of unmanned weapons systems for the purposes of international disarmament and arms control."
The move is a blow to outgoing defence minister Thomas de Mazière who was slated for spending hundreds of millions of euros on Euro Hawk drones which were never allowed to fly over German airspace.
Germany was in talks with both the US manufacturer of Predator drones as well as their Israeli competitor, which produces Heron drones, to buy 16 in the next few years.
thelocal

Committee probes German ministry's drone debacle

An investigative committee in the German parliament is aiming to explain why the Euro Hawk drone, after years in the making and investments of more than 600 million euros, can't receive flight permission.
dw.de

Germany signals it will stick with NATO drone plan

Germany dropped plans to buy its own drones but will maintain commitment to NATO project drones, minister says.
The decision not to buy the planes raised concerns over whether Germany would continue to back a NATO plan to acquire five high-altitude unmanned Global Hawks, also from Northrop Grumman, as part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) project.

reuters

NATO Drone Project Set to Continue

Pulling the plug on Germany’s Euro Hawk project won’t have consequences for NATO’s surveillance program using “Global Hawk” models. But critics argue a joint European drone project would have been better.
The canceled German Euro Hawk drone project will most likely not have consequences on a similar project by NATO. The alliance plans to use five drones of the Global Hawk Block 40 type for its “Alliance Ground Surveillance” (AGS) system.
defencetalk

Germany will not buy Euro Hawk drones

Germany will not purchase Euro Hawk reconaissance drones because meeting the standards required to win aviation approval would cost 500 million to 600 million euros.

reuters

Northrop Grumman, Cassidian Fly First Sensor-Equipped Euro Hawk

Northrop Grumman and EADS Deutschland GmbH, operating through Cassidian, together achieved a major milestone with the first full system test flight of the EURO HAWK unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with the signals intelligence (SIGINT) advanced sensors for detection of radar and communication emitters. Cassidian is the defence and security division of EADS.

defencetalk

El Euro Hawk realiza su primera prueba de resistencia/ Euro Hawk passes first endurance test

La versío europe de la aeronave no tripulada Global Hawk, el Eurohawk, ha realizado con éxito su primer test de resistencia, realizando un vuelo de 30 horas en los primeros días de diciembre.
El Euro Hawk despegó el 1 de Diciembre a las 16:47 hora del Pacífico de Estados Unidosy aterrizó a las 20:59 del 2 de Diciembre , 30 horas y 12 minutos después del despegue.
flightglobal
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The European variant of the high-altitude, long-endurance Global Hawk has passed its first endurance test, after completing a more than 30h flight in the early days of December.
The Euro Hawk unmanned air vehicle took off on 1 December at 16:47 Pacific Standard Time and landed at 20:59 on 2 December, 30h and 12min later.
flightglobal

Primer vuelo del Euro Hawk RQ-4 para la Luftwaffe/ Euro Hawk takes off

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Euro Hawk, la aeronave sin piloto desarrollada por Northrop Grumman y Eurohawk GmbH, ha realizado su primer vuelo con éxito, con fecha 29 de junio de 2010. La aeronave despegó desde Palmdale, California, trepando hasta los 32.000 pies, realizando un vuelo de cerca de dos horas.
EuroHawk GmbH, está formada al 50% por Northrop Grumman y EADS Defence & Security para desarrollar el Euro Hawk, basado en el Global Hawk, Block 20 Global Hawk. Estará dotado de equipos electrónicos para inteligencia. Las Fuerzas Armadas Alemanas, planean utilizarlos como sustitutos del Breguet Atlantic de inteligencia electrónica, que se retirarán este año. El Euro Hawk entrará en servicio en 2017.
key.aero
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Euro Hawk, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed from Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk by EuroHawk GmbH successfully completed its first flight yesterday.
The aircraft took off from Northrop Grumman's facility at Palmdale in California and climbed to 32,000ft over the desert before landing nearly two hours later at Edwards Air Force Base.
EuroHawk GmbH was formed as a 50-50 joint venture company by Northrop Grumman and EADS Defence & Security to develop the Euro Hawk. Based on the Block 20 Global Hawk, Euro Hawk will be equipped with a new signals intelligence (SIGINT) mission system developed by EADS Defence & Security, providing standoff capability to detect electronic and communications emitters via a ground station.
The German military wants to replace its brace of Breguet Atlantic SIGINT aircraft that have been in service with the Naval Air Arm since 1972. Euro Hawk is expected to enter service in 2017 following operational testing.
key.aero

EL PRIMER EURO HAWK ALEMÁN VOLARÁ EN JULIO DE 2010/ GERMANY FIRST EURO HAWK TO FLY NEXT MON

Lo hará en Estados Unidos, una versión modificada del RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 20. Alemania, adquirirá cinco. El prototipo ya ha efectuado pruebas en tierra, rodando hasta los 120km/h. Está equipado con electrónica desarrollada por EADS Defence. Los Eurohawk, sustituirán en las misiones de vigilancia a los dos Dassault-Breguet Atlantic de que dispone Alemania a finales de 2011.
(read more)
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The prototype is within weeks of making its first flight in the USA.
A modified version of the US Air Force's Block 20 RQ-4B Global Hawk, the first of Germany's planned five new signals intelligence aircraft on 19 May cleared its "full dress rehearsal" before flying from Palmdale, California.
This involved the UAV making an aborted take-off from a speed of around 65kt (120km/h), before coming to a halt and shutting down on the runway. Earlier ground runs on 8 April had assessed the air vehicle at taxi speeds of between 6kt and 70kt.
It´s to be equipped with an EADS Defence & Security-developed payload incorporating communication and electronic intelligence-gathering sensors, the fleet will replace the German air force's two Dassault-Breguet Atlantic surveillance aircraft from late 2011.
(read more)