GERMAN DEAL WILL HAVE A.V. IMPACT PALMDALE TO BUILD FIRST EURO HAWK.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- The German Ministry of Defense awarded a $559 million contract to EuroHawk GmbH for the development, test and support of the Euro Hawk -- a variant of the Palmdale-built unmanned Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft.

The Euro Hawk will be derived from the U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 20, a computer-controlled reconnaissance plane assembled by Northrop Grumman workers in Palmdale. The Euro Hawk will be equipped with gear developed by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, or EADS, for collecting communications and radio signals to meet the German air force's requirement for a high-altitude, long-endurance signal intelligence system.

``The first aircraft will be built in Palmdale,'' said Northrop Grumman spokeswoman Cynthia Curiel. ``The initial checkout flight test will be done in Palmdale.''

The aircraft is the first of five expected to be built for the Germans. Four other aircraft are expected to be ordered under a separate contract in 2010.

Under this contract, EuroHawk GmbH will also provide aircraft modifications, mission control and launch and recovery ground segments, flight test and logistics support.

EuroHawk GmbH is a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and EADS. The company is based in Immenstaad, Germany.

Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for 2010, with the following four systems scheduled tentatively between 2011 and 2014. The Euro Hawk system will replace the aging fleet of Breguet Atlantic aircraft, which have been in service since 1972.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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