In the latest report to Congress about major acquisition program cost and schedule changes, the Pentagon noted the revised schedule and cost increases for the Air Force’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. DOD had told Congress earlier this year that the high-flying UAV program had breached the Nunn-McCurdy rule. The latest Selected Acquisition Report shows that the UAV’s operational assessment completion date has slipped from June 2006 to March 2007. It also noted that program costs had increased from $7.8 billion to $9.5 billion. Part of the increase comes from retrofit requirements for such elements as the Joint Tactical Radio System and Family of Beyond Line of Sight Terminals, and higher than anticipated costs for the Advanced Signals Intelligence Payload and Radar Technology Insertion Program.
A U.S. F-35C shot down an Iranian drone operating near the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier Feb. 3 in a dramatic incident that American military officials cautioned could lead to conflict amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.
