Well, despite the fact that Air Force leaders insist that the U-2 can get the same job done for less cash, lawmakers are forcing the service to keep the block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude spy done.
The Air Force announced it was mothballing the Block 30s and keep the U-2 dragonlady’s that the RQ-4 was set to replace when it unvieled its new budget earlier this year. This was part of the Pentagon’s efforts to save billions of dollars over the next decade. The only probelm, well Congress — the same institution that ordered the massive cuts — doesn’t like the idea of shelving the existing RQ-4s.
So, during its markup of the FY-13 defense authorization bill, the House Armed Services Committee inserted $260 million to keep the the Air Force’s 18 Block 30 Global Hawks in service.
From Aol Defense:
The first slice of that funding appeared this morning on page 7 of a 190-page document released by the personnel subcommittee, with a statement that ” The committee recommends an increase in end strengths to reflect the corresponding manpower requirements to maintain 18 Air Force Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawks.” A House source confirmed that the procurement and operations & maintenance funding to operate the Global Hawks would be in other subcommittee marks being released today and tomorrow.
No word yet on what this will mean for the U-2 fleet.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
If you are always claiming you are short ISR assets, why are you looking to shelve one of your most modern ISR assets?
Perhaps the pilotless issue is at the core?
I feel that may be at the heart of it, the pilot-less. Even if it isn't, people will be in for a rude awakening if we ever get into a high-end conflict, drones will not be survivable and effective, command and control lines are too tenuous and easily severed to allow for their operation in that sort of conflict. They are great against low-end threats, just as good as a pilot in many cases, but sometimes you need to rely on radio silence and no communication for the mission. That and I am not interested in highly intelligent drones carrying them out for us, that is a bad road to go down, at least in terms of the survival of our species.
Multiculturalism is a greater threat to our species than drones. I personally welcome our new computerized overlords.
The USA has always been multicultural, especially the Western Half. Learn your history.
So, you're going to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on an aircraft that the Air Force neither wants or needs??? Especially, if there's an aircraft (U-2) that can do the same job (maybe even a better job) for way less. Wow…way to go, Congress (shaking my head)!!
Truth is, the U2 is not able to do the same job for less. The Air Force simply said that to avoid having 2 aircraft cut.
I beg to differ! I work with this aircraft, so I know first hand what it's capable of…and, it is not essential to our mission whatsoever. The U-2 can out perform the Block 30 any day. I was actually relieved when I found out that the DOD was trying to cancel the program because it's been such a headache. Hopefully, Congress will wisen out, and mothball those God forsaken things!
If you ever knew how many of these UAV's they crash on a monthly basis, you would be even more pissed!
Did you not read the above article? It specifically says "… inserted $260 million …." 260 million is not billions of dollars the last I checked.
Christian, of course, I read the article above. If you researched this more, you would know that overall, the storage of this aircraft would save $2.5 BILLION over the next five years! Please do your homework before you try to correct someone. Thanks!!
The day of the U-2 has passed a long time ago.
You are an idiot – the RQ-4 just finished IOC and goes places the U-2 can't even reach – the numbers were lies from the stinking U-2 mafia – the USAF staff doctored the numbers to make the U-2 look cheaper when in actuality the RQ-4 is thousands of dollars less per flight hours. The U-2 needs to be retired and tell the flyboys to growup and realize UAVs are reality.
Ever stop to think that congress might have a better clue than you on some things??? The AF analysis was very politcally motivated and just plain inaccurate. Moving forward with their plan would have been a waste of taxpayer dollars and a true risk to national security. Do your homework, and don't lump GH in with all UAV's.
We have 'em, we might as well use 'em.
Why does this have to be so complicated…
You're right, Pat! Why is this so complicated?? Instead of just listening to the experts, Congress decides to take matters into their own hands…why even give the DoD and the President input?? Congress just overrules with the WRONG decisions, anyway!
Same experts that said the A-10 was obsolete back in 1990. Same experts that said the c-130 could do the c-27's job then acted surprised when it couldn't.
Same experts that want to prepare for the war they WANT to fight (china/iran) instead of the war we will probably fight (mexican drug dudes/african war lord to secure stocks of strategic minerals)
They're the same experts that said fighters would rely only on missiles, never again would a gun be used in aerial combat.
Yeah……type of complicated but really they are tough 30'es…..gonna be the best spy drone for the USAF. i
ts markup of the FY-13 defense authorization bill, the House Armed Services Committee inserted $260 million to keep the the Air Force’s 18 Block 30 Global Hawks in service.
gLoBaL hAwKS………………………. yOu rOcKsSsSsSsSsSsS
Actually, the Global Hawk doesn't rock! I've worked with the aircraft, and it truly SUCKS! It breaks down every five seconds, and we are not even provided the support to keep it in the air. Congress made a HUGE mistake, by trying to block this cancelation….trust me!
Ohh thats wrong. So,you are from U.S Army?
That would be an air force asset, plus civilian contractors.
I can't believe, Congress!! This is another case of….DON'T do what makes sense! I'm pretty sure the Air Force knew what they were talking about….why go against it?? I guess Congress doesn't care, since they're salaries are not being affected. Thanks for wasting billions of dollars!!
Wow, what a great airplane the U-2 must be. It's better than the SR-71, better than the unmanned Global Hawk, even though it was first shot down in the 1950s causing a huge international incident when the pilot was captured and paraded around on TV news around the globe. And what a huge money maker it has been for Lockheed. Purely a coincidence, as always.
Francis Gary Powers was apparently hit only after his plane lost power and came down into range of the then current Soviet systems. He later died in a news helicopter crash in L.A. The point is that the plane – then and now – performs missions that can only be done by that plane. Additionally, the AF probably feared it would lose the U-2 to budget cuts, knew the GH was a pet project, so elected to cancel it, knowing that Congress would fund it. Lots of politics and money are messing up the system, making it hard to know what to do.
You may have noticed on this site that there have been numerous reports of the aging AF and Army helicopter fleets, and their falling readiness; of Marine air in general, and in the aging Navy ships. All of this comes at the same time as the mandated military cuts loom. Coincidence?
I don't think that the U2 has made money for Lockheed for a long while, I don't know when the last U-2 was made but I doubt that Lockheed has made and sold a U-2 in at least 20 years, probably closer to 30. While the fleet has been upgraded several times over the decades I highly doubt that these upgrades are making Lockheed money hand over fist, assuming that Lockheed is even the one doing the upgrades.
You don't think because your head is empty. Why don't you find out if Lockheed has made any money off this program and then come back and tell us you were wrong.
Cut defense spending! Wait no not that, I know you don’t like them but it is from my district. So… Lets increase procurement of that particular system.
Oh congress…. :/
Really, Congress?? So, just forget about what DoD says about the Block 30, huh? You know everything, right?? I hate to break it to you, but I actually work with the Block 30, and it's a piece of CRAP! This aircraft is worthless, and I was actually relieved that it was getting canceled! How exactly did you make this decision, Congress? Did you visit the Global Hawk locations? Did you speak to the personnel who actually work with this aircraft? I HIGHLY doubt it! You just made a knee-jerk decision that defied our President and our Department of Defense. You also slapped the taxpayers in the face by wasting BILLIONS of dollars on an aircraft that we don't even need. Congrats on more money wasted! Bravo!!
Just more lobbying from Hugh Lyon Sack.
There was a reason they moved their HQ to DC…
I've read a lot of comments about the Global Hawk, but you should know more about it than the others. What makes the GH "a piece of crap". I'm not necessarily doubting you, I would just like to know what makes this "aircraft is worthless".
I would appreciate your response.
Edincleve
Congress is the same reason the USAF must maintain aircraft such as the C5 that needed to be culled from the herd many years ago…a drain on limited resources and not DoD's fault….Congress'.
http://defense.aol.com/2011/07/14/dod-caps-airlif…
"well Congress — the same institution that ordered the massive cuts — doesn’t like the idea of shelving the existing RQ-4s" This is exactly what I mean when I say Republicans are stupid and don't vote for any Republicans. They are a bunch of hypocrites. Looking at a different example, Republicans in Congress are the ones that cried the loudest about our country public deficit and blaming it on a Democrats President, but look at it again, this deficit is caused by the two wars (Iraq + Afghanistan) and a tax cut that the republicans are behind. The two wars was initiated by Bush (a republican president) with massive support from the Republican party, and the tax cut was also the idea of the Republicans party. Throughout thousand years of history, no country has ever gone to war with a tax cut, country would only raise tax to fund war. So this is funny how the Republicans want to go to war, cut tax, and have a balance budget. Mission Impossible 10
Don't turn this into a political thread.. both parties have proven to be worthless.
Not exactly, the Democrats would be a better choice I swear. Just that we havent seen a lot of things done with Obama is because hes a president that work with a Republicans majority Congress. Partisanship will always be an obstacle. Its pretty hard for Obama to do what he wants since Republicans would go on and try to block everything. Under the Bush Administration, he was able to advocate all or most of his policies thanks to the fact that the Congress was tight under the Republicans control. And how is politics not allowed? Politics definitely influences the outcome of defense tech.
Simpleton, learn to picture the two parties as a two-headed snake for now. You'll see it's true once you get out of high school and (hopefully) are forced to learn about the real world.
First off, Dont blame the fact that we were in Afghanistan on Bush, last time I checked when we went there the entire nation supported the move. Second we dont have the best military in the world becasue we cut projects that are relacing out of date technology.
This is stupidity 101. The USAF doesn't want it it doesn't outperform the U-2 but the Republicans want it. However I dont see this lasting since the Democratic senate and White House wont approve the bloated McKenon Bil and so this attempt will kill the DoD budget and more CRs for this year. Overall the Republicans are just Politically posturing and making them easier to defeat this fall.
Once again, don't turn this into a political thread.. both parties have proven to be worthless.
I understand where you are coming from, but sometimes you just have to call it how it is. This wasteful bill is coming from one party not both, so how can you avoid calling them out?
Totally agreeing with Greg, like I said in earlier post, Politics do influence the outcome of defense tech, and the direction of future defense. For example, during the Bush administration we were mainly focused with the MiddleEast, so much money was invested into unmanned drones. Now that Obama wanted to shift our focus to Asia, we invest more in high end tech to counter high end threats, such as some talks and plans for 6th gen fighters.
some politicians are throwing Boeing a bone me thinks.
Jobs…..
Jobs….
Jobs…..
I ALWAYS wondered if the Air Force didn't have a SECRET fast mover doing overflights snooping?
Besides the X-37B….
Put the U-2 to bed already.
And, waste 2.5 billion dollars in five years? That's just not smart. We should exhaust the U-2 as long as we can, until we're financially ready for the Block 30. Why waste the resources we already have?? Is Congress even using their brains???
You don't need a man to take photos. Nor the special gear & support to fly the thing.
Wonder were these will be flying,the southern border is choice Bat point A we are very carefull after crash,or being taken by a electro sourch taken down in Iran?I wonder at times if we just give a zap to 2 enemie countries if all this is really needed…
We've reached the point where SAR provides more interesting data than cameras on target.
I believe tech like this should not go to waste. We spent billions on it so use it. The problem is we keep on building something without having an idea how many we need, it's capability, reliability and what we were going to use it for in 20 years and against future enemy with the same tech. We need good QC and micro managers with excellent experience.
That is a cool looking plane
http://www.red-dot-scopes.com/