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Pentagon changes Pacific surveillance
EYES IN THE SKY: The US will base three Global Hawk drones in Guam to capture
information about Chinese missile fields and bases in areas across from Taiwan
By William Lowther
Staff Reporter in Washington
Sunday, Sep 19, 2010, Page 1
In a military switch with direct implications for Taiwan, the
Pentagon is changing the way it spies on China.
US General Gary North, Pacific Air Forces Commander, has announced that three
Global Hawk drones ¡X the US¡¦ most advanced unmanned planes ¡X are to be based at
Anderson Air Force Base in Guam.
They are expected to start operating from Guam as soon as tomorrow.
North confirmed that the drones would gather intelligence and conduct
surveillance and reconnaissance.
The Global Hawks will eventually take over completely from the U-2 spy planes
and the RC-135 surveillance aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region.
These are the manned aircraft that currently fly high over the Taiwan Strait at
regular intervals to monitor China¡¦s missile buildup and the military forces
facing Taiwan.
The spy planes ¡X and now the drones ¡X would probably provide the first major
clues if China began moving towards an attack or invasion.
¡§The move to drones is definitely something for Taiwan to take note of. It¡¦s a
significant development,¡¨ said John Pike, head of the Washington-based think
tank Global Security.
He said that it signaled Washington¡¦s continued commitment to gathering
intelligence in the region following the retirement of the U-2s and the RC-135s.
While it will take some months to establish that the drones can do as good a job
as the manned spy planes, analysts believe they will provide a comparable
service over the Taiwan Strait.
The drones do not fly as high as the spy planes, but will cover Chinese missile
fields and bases in all of the coastal areas facing Taiwan.
Global Hawks can reach altitudes of 19km ¡X well above the range of most
defensive weapons ¡X and can stay in the air for more than 32 hours at a time.
¡§It flies for more than a day and it flies at very good speeds and so you could
transit a long distance,¡¨ North said.
While the exact figures are classified, it is believed that Global Hawks can fly
about 16,000km on one mission.
The first of the three drones to be stationed on Guam arrived there earlier this
month following an 18-hour journey from Beale Air Force Base in California.
Officially known as the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the drones are made by Northrop
Grumman and cost about US$183 million each.
The drones have been described as having a ¡§bulbous, whale-shaped nose¡¨ and have
a top-mounted engine and V-tail. They are 13m long with a wingspan of 35m. Using
information gathered by the spy plane program, the Pentagon reported this summer
that China now has more than 1,400 missiles aimed at Taiwan and that despite
much warmer economic relations ¡§there have been no meaningful actions on the
part of the mainland to reduce its military presence opposite the island.¡¨
The Pentagon has concluded that with China¡¦s rapidly expanding arsenal of ships,
missiles and aircraft the cross-strait military balance continues to ¡§shift in
the mainland¡¦s favor.¡¨
With this in mind, US Representative Edward Royce told the US House of
Representatives this week: ¡§To help close the gap, Taiwan has had a pending
request to buy additional F-16 fighter jets. The [US President Barack] Obama
administration is still ¡¥studying¡¦ this proposal.¡¨
¡§Taiwan faces one of the most complex and lethal military threats in the world.
Across the region, in response to China¡¦s buildup and increasing assertiveness,
China¡¦s neighbors are moving to strengthen their security relationships with the
US,¡¨ he said.
¡§This gravitation to the US will only last as long as the US is seen as a
credible guarantor of stability. Moving forward with this F-16 sale would be an
appropriate signal to Taiwan and the region. If we want cross-strait detente to
succeed, Taiwan will have to operate from a position of strength,¡¨ Royce said.
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