Global Hawk nearing Pentagon recertification

The Pentagon is expected to formally recertify the U.S. Air Force’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle program as early as this week after the program this past year violated the Nunn-McCurdy cost growth caps. In order for the program to avoid cancellation under the law, the Pentagon must certify that it has a good cost estimate for the program, it is essential to national security and no viable alternatives exist. The Pentagon’s redone cost estimate for the Global Hawk, which is built by Northrop Grumman, has been given the OK and the Air Force has agreed to fully fund it, according to industry sources. Unit costs for the Global Hawk have risen 75 percent since the beginning of system development, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.