66 countries eligible to buy US drones

As many as 66 countries would be eligible to buy U.S. drones under new Defense Department guidelines but Congress and the State Department, which have a final say, have not yet opened the spigots for exports, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday – needless to say, that has caused much frustration.

The 66 countries were listed in a Defense Department policy worked out last year to clear the way for wider overseas sales of unmanned aerial systems, as the Pentagon calls such drones, said Richard Genaille, deputy director of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency. He did not name them.

We don't really have a comprehensive U.S. government policy on such exports, he told an industry conference called ComDef 2012. It hasn't moved quite as fast as we would like, but we're not giving up.

Northrop Grumman Corp chief executive Wes Bush on Wednesday praised the Obama administration for what he described assignificant moves to boost arms exports, but voiced frustration at delays in codifying them in a new export policy.

I wish we were further along in getting that done. It's slow, it's painful, but we're doing the right things to move in that direction, Bush told Reuters.

U.S. arms makers are looking abroad to help offset Pentagon spending cuts spurred by U.S. deficit-reduction requirements.

Northrop Grumman's ability to boost its overseas arms sales, which now account for less than 10 percent of its overall revenues, hinges largely on streamlined export controls, Bush said.

U.S. defense and high-technology exporters have long complained about the complex web of regulations governing exports of weapons and dual-use goods that have both civilian and military applications. They believe the rules disadvantage them versus foreign competitors.

GLOBAL HAWK PLANES

Of particular concern to Northrop Grumman are restrictions on exports such as the company's high-altitude Global Hawk surveillance planes.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Texting while driving?

Violence grips Bangladesh as Islamists demand stricter blasphemy law

David Cameron warned: 'Shed elitist image'

Prince William may give up his role as search and rescue pilot after becoming father