It would seem that the Pentagon let the cart get before the horse when it OK’d the plan to retire all USAF’s high-flying U-2 reconnaissance aircraft by Fiscal 2011. There apparently is concern from warfighting commanders that there may be a gap in ISR coverage during the switchover from U-2 to Global Hawk UAV (see above). Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Armed Services tacair subcommittee, asserted Thursday that he had received back-channel indications from combatant commanders noting a problem. A senior DOD intelligence official assured lawmakers that if US Strategic Command finds a gap, DOD would “make changes.”
PHOTOS: Air Force Shows Off Second B-21 in New Images
Sept. 12, 2025
On Sept. 12, the Air Force released half a dozen new photos of the second B-21 bomber to fly, giving observers and aviation enthusiasts another glimpse of the secretive Raider.
