It sure sounded like a good idea: Take a few B-52s, strap on outboard radar-jamming pods, and scramble enemy air and electronic defense networks at will. It seems now that Air Force officials are reconsidering the whole thing in favor of a more-agile platform. That’s the word from the Lexington Institute’s well-informed Loren Thompson, as quoted in a Reuters dispatch. Of course, given the Pentagon’s budget slashing mood, cutting the electric B-52 dollars might have been a fairly obvious move to make. However, the Air Force will need to make a move soon to have a replacement by the time the Navy retires its EA-6B Prowlers.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.