[Photo] S. Korea acquires first Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned aircraft

The South Korean Air Force acquired its first advanced high-altitude unmanned aircraft on Dec. 23. The RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), referred to simply as the Global Hawk, arrived at the air base in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, eight years after the initial agreement to purchase it from the US in 2011. The South Korean military expects to acquire three more Global Hawks, assumedly for surveillance of North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs, next year.