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SKorea to discuss spy planes at talks with US: official
Seoul (AFP) Nov 6, 2007 South Korea will ask the United States this week to sell the nation high-altitude spy planes during security talks between their defence chiefs, officials said Tuesday. South Korea hopes to buy Global Hawk unmanned aerial planes (UAVs). A request for the 45-million-dollar craft has been rejected, with Washington citing the Missile Technology Control Regime, which restricts sales of sensitive equipment. South Korea is seeking the planes so it can keep a better watch over North Korea, as it takes over greater responsibility for its defence from its ally the United States. The craft can cruise at an altitude of 19.5 kilometres (12 miles) for up to 42 hours and identify 30-centimetre-size (12-inch) objects on the ground. "Our side wants the issue to be discussed during this week's annual security consultative meeting," a South Korean defence ministry spokesman told AFP. The meeting Wednesday between US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and South Korean defence minister Kim Jang-Soo will focus on the proposed relocation of US troops here, he said. It will also cover South Korea's proposal to play a greater role in controlling an inter-Korean buffer zone and the question of Washington's wartime control over South Korea's military, he said. "We expect smooth talks this year with both sides assessing the implementation of agreements reached earlier," the spokesman said. South Korean officials say Washington appears to be satisfied with Seoul's decision to extend the stay of troops in Iraq until December 2008 but to halve its size from the current 1,250. US Admiral Michael Mullen called for closer ties at talks Tuesday with General Kim Kwan-Jin, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Yonhap news agency. "The alliance is strong. I look forward to continuing its strength and actually continuing to see the alliance grow," Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted as saying. North and South Korea remain technically at war following the 1950-1953 conflict. Currently, some 28,000 US troops support the South's 680,000-strong forces against any threat from North Korea's 1.1 million-member military. Washington still has wartime control over South Korea's military but has agreed to return this in 2012. The US-led United Nations Command also controls the southern side of the demilitarised zone, which bisects the peninsula. In March, the two sides agreed to split roughly the 11-billion-dollar cost of relocating US troops, including moving most of them to a new base at Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul. Washington plans to scale back its forces to 25,000 by 2008 as South Korea plays a bigger part in its own defence. The United States wants Seoul to pay a larger share in relocating military bases. Related Links UAV News - Suppliers and Technology
Silver Fox UAV Flies In The Philippines For The 31st MEU
Fort Magsaysay, Philippines (AFNS) Nov 05, 2007Providing a forward set of eyes from above, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force, launched the Silver Fox unmanned aerial vehicle for the first time to conduct an operational evaluation here, Oct. 19, during Amphibious Landing Exercise '08. |
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