Eyes In The Sky Are Getting Expensive

[unhappycamper]

South Korea Turns Up Heat On Global Hawk Deal
By Carlo Munoz
Published: September 26, 2011

Washington: The South Korean government is threatening to walk away from an almost $400 million Global Hawk purchase unless the Pentagon can bring the price down.

According to a recent report in the Korea Herald, top decision makers in Seoul claim the revised cost estimate out of the Pentagon for the four-plane deal is nearly double what both governments had initially agreed to.

Those unmanned planes, which are set to begin arriving on the peninsula by 2015, were originally going to cost the South Korean government roughly $379 million, including the associated ground systems, spare parts and other materials.

The revised estimate, according to the Herald, is closer to $795 million. Under that new price, the South Korean military simply cannot afford to buy the the advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone from the U.S., according to the South Korean story.

[MADem]

1. We want to get our investment back. Hell, they'll probably reverse engineer the thing

in two shakes, anyway!

[Owlet]

2. Why would South Korea want them?

Seems like an odd purchase. Were they planning to fly them over the North?

[tech5270]

3. funny that Wiki shows the per unit cost at $35M

I don't consider Wiki to be an absolute information source but a ten to one ratio shows someone is not telling the truth.

[Harmony Blue]

4. South Korea is an economic powerhouse

so I am inclined to agree they know the true value of the units.

[unhappycamper]

5. wikipedia notoriously under prices the cost of military hardware. n/t