AIR CRASH OF HAWK PROBED MALFUNCTION BLAMED INITIALLY.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - Sunday's crash of a Global Hawk robot spy plane appears to be the result of a maintenance-related malfunction, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday. The Global Hawk, which went down at 12:30 a.m. Sunday (PST PST Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, see there ), crashed over land in an unspecified country. The Pentagon will not disclose where the aircraft went down, citing ``host nation'' concerns. The aircraft, which was returning to its unidentified base when it crashed, was not shot down and did not crash in Afghanistan, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem. ``Initial indications are that it went down for what you would call a malfunction, a maintenance-related malfunction,'' Stufflebeem said at a Pentagon news conference. Stufflebeem said he believed a recovery and investigation team were at the crash site. Stufflebeem also said it would be unlikely the aircraft could be repaired and returned to duty. ``It's a pretty sizable craft, and when it goes down there's not going to be much you can put back in the air,'' Stufflebeem said. The Global Hawks, built by Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. in Palmdale, are being pressed into duty over Afghanistan although the program is still in the development phase. The Pentagon has been tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. about the reconnaissance aircraft's operations, keeping the number of Global Hawks in use in the Afghanistan campaign and their base of operations Noun 1. base of operations - installation from which a military force initiates operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases" base air base, air station - a base for military aircraft army base - a large base of operations for an army secret. Controlled by computer, the unmanned aircraft Unmanned Aircraft (UA) is a term used in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) definition of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). UA refers to the aircraft portion of the system required to operate it, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. can fly 1,200 miles to a target area, linger over Verb 1. linger over - delay dwell on hesitate, waffle, waver - pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness; "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" that area for 24 hours Adv. 1. for 24 hours - without stopping; "she worked around the clock" around the clock, round the clock at nearly twice the altitude of a passenger jetliner, and then fly back. The Global Hawks are equipped with radar capable of picking up objects 100 miles out and with cameras that provide still images clear enough for targets as far away as 30 miles to be identified. The aircraft are being developed for the U.S. Air Force, but the U.S. Navy and Australian defense officials are also interested in the program for possible maritime patrols. The Pentagon is also considering the possibility of arming the Global Hawk aircraft with either two 2,000-pound precision bombs or with four 250-pound small-diameter bombs, a weapon that is in development. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) A Northrop Grumman Global Hawk plane crashed Sunday. |
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