The House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces panel has moved to stop the Air Force from retiring its RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 remotely piloted aircraft next fiscal year. Language included in the panel chairman’s mark-up of the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2013 budget request bars the Air Force from using any of the fiscal year’s funds “to retire, prepare to retire, or place in storage” any Block 30 aircraft. Released on Thursday, April 26, in preparation for Friday’s mark-up hearing, the mark also stipulates that the Air Force “shall maintain the operational capability of each” Block 30 airplane through at least the end of 2014. This includes those already in the inventory and those delivered during this period. So that there is the manpower to maintain these Block 30s, the HASC personnel panel’s chairman’s mark, released on April 25, retained 560 of the 3,900 Active Duty billets that the Air Force has proposed cutting from its end strength. The Block 30 variant was designed to replace the U-2 for high-altitude surveillance. However, the Air Force says it’s proving to be too expensive to operate. (Tacair panel mark-up; caution, large-sized file.)
Multiple B-21s are undergoing ground tests and being prepared to join the two aircraft now in test flight, and the Northrop Grumman is negotiating with the Air Force about how expanded production for the bomber could be accomplished, president and CEO Kathy Warden said Oct. 21. She also suggested a…
