Global Hawk Block 30

Lawmakers Throw Wrench Into Air Force ISR Divestment Plan

House authorizers threw shade at the service for not heeding long-standing warnings of the potential for a gap in tactical aircraft availability.

Milley, Austin Defend A-10, Global Hawk Retirements At SASC

"We've got to recognize and begin to shift toward a future operating environment and the changing character of war, and we must shift the capabilities that are going to be relevant, survivable and effective against a tier one adversary sometime in the future. This is a modest decrease in the number of A-10s I think it is an acceptable risk and I support the Air Force's recommendation," Gen. Milley said.

U-2 Expert Says Global Hawk Just Can’t Compare

Chris Pocock may know more about the U-2 than anyone who doesn’t possess a very high security clearance. He’s written four books about the planes and is passionate about the black beauties. Here’s his take on whether Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk can rival or surpass the capabilities of the U-2. Read on. The Editor. Northrop […]

Don’t Retire U-2, Again! Sen. Feinstein, Rep. Schiff Urge Air Force To Postpone

WASHINGTON: Either Lockheed Martin’s legendary U-2 spy plane does things that Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk drone can’t, or it doesn’t. If the U-2 doesn’t, then, the Air Force argues, it should be retired by 2019. After several flip flops in recent years, that is the service’s current position: We need to retire the U-2 because we’re upgrading the […]

Air Force, Riding Budget Boost, Warns On Sequester; U-2 Is BACK!

PENTAGON: We won’t know much about it, but protecting America’s military satellites and the data they gather and share is a key target of the 2016 service budget. Several senior Pentagon budget wallahs declined in the top-level budget briefings today to answer specific questions about the spending levels of what is known as Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and […]

Ayotte Slams Hagel’s A-10 Fleet Cuts; U-2 Retires, Army Shrinks, Cruisers Laid Up: 2015 Budget

UPDATED: Sen. Leahy, 12 Other Senators, Decry Planned Guard Cuts To Hagel (6:20 PM Monday) PENTAGON: Congress and the Pentagon are likely to battle for most of the rest of this year over the administration’s budget plans: to retire the U-2 (again); to retire half the Navy’s current cruiser fleet; to trim and consolidate pay […]

McKeon Leaving HASC; Thornberry Front Runner For Chairman

WASHINGTON: It’s finally official: after three years leading Congress’ largest committee and 22 years in Congress, Rep. Buck McKeon of California has announced he is heading for the door. McKeon, whose departure has been rumored (and denied or deflected by his spokesmen) for more than a year, has been a reliable supporter of the defense […]

HASC Rejects Base Closure, F-35 Restrictions During NDAA Markup

[updated with final results] CAPITOL HILL: Bipartisan majorities in the House Armed Services Committee have steamrollered proposals to slow down the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and to permit the Pentagon to plan for base closures, but reformers at least made a respectable run at the windmill during markup of fiscal year 2014 National Defense Authorization […]