Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
UPI: WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A classified budget document approved by the Pentagon Dec. 23 calls for the termination by 2011 of one of the most heavily relied-upon reconnaissance planes in the Iraq war.
The storied U-2 spy plane would commence retirement in 2007 under the strictures of Program Budget Decision, or PBD, 720, according to Pentagon, defense industry and congressional officials familiar with the document. All spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is classified. PBD 720 would retire three U-2s in 2007, six in 2008, seven in both 2009 and 2010 and the final 10 in 2011.
The document, one of a host of similar decisions approved in an annual ritual by senior defense officials as the finishing touches are being put to the department's budget request, does not explain the rationale for terminating the program, which has been unsuccessfully targeted for retirement multiple times in the last 10 years.
The decision emanated from the Quadrennial Defense Review deliberations, officials told United Press International. The review will be published early this year.......
The storied U-2 spy plane would commence retirement in 2007 under the strictures of Program Budget Decision, or PBD, 720, according to Pentagon, defense industry and congressional officials familiar with the document. All spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision is classified. PBD 720 would retire three U-2s in 2007, six in 2008, seven in both 2009 and 2010 and the final 10 in 2011.
The document, one of a host of similar decisions approved in an annual ritual by senior defense officials as the finishing touches are being put to the department's budget request, does not explain the rationale for terminating the program, which has been unsuccessfully targeted for retirement multiple times in the last 10 years.
The decision emanated from the Quadrennial Defense Review deliberations, officials told United Press International. The review will be published early this year.......
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
It's not surprising with the RQ-4A's capability and loiter times. Open press sources say 24 hours loiter at 3000 miles range from base. It's pretty impressive.
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Pianosa
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Not a bad innings, all things considered.
Not sure I'd have liked to have had a go at it. Who wants to spend 10 hrs slavishly trying to keep the airspeed within the 3 kt window between stall and Mach 1 and what other aircraft needs to have another pilot running alongside it in a corvette to talk them down.
No doubt NASA will be hanging onto theirs for a while yet.
Not sure I'd have liked to have had a go at it. Who wants to spend 10 hrs slavishly trying to keep the airspeed within the 3 kt window between stall and Mach 1 and what other aircraft needs to have another pilot running alongside it in a corvette to talk them down.
No doubt NASA will be hanging onto theirs for a while yet.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Global Hawks aren´t cheap, have a much lower payload, and are still relatively unproven - look at the loss rate for the few procured to date. I have my suspicions we will see the Dragon Lady in the skies for a few more years yet.....
That'd take ages - Boscombe would have to evaluate the Corvettes!
Plus the infrastructure requirements for the U2 are probably far more than the tiny little air force of today could ever afford.
Plus the infrastructure requirements for the U2 are probably far more than the tiny little air force of today could ever afford.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Unfortunately, I believe my service is starting down the road to becoming a "tiny little air force." Probably within what's left of my lifetime.
Same comments I see on pprune about contracting out work to private enterprises; what seem to me to be inherently military functions going to contractors; constant, unrelenting drawing down of continually aging aircraft; lots of chiefs, shrinking pool of 'rode hard, put away wet' Indians, yada, yada, yada.
It's been done before, why can't we see it?
Same comments I see on pprune about contracting out work to private enterprises; what seem to me to be inherently military functions going to contractors; constant, unrelenting drawing down of continually aging aircraft; lots of chiefs, shrinking pool of 'rode hard, put away wet' Indians, yada, yada, yada.
It's been done before, why can't we see it?
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Will believe it when I see it. G-H has been a long program, and although it has done good work it has yet to become fully operational due to difficulty of doing three things at once - deployed operations, standing up squadron and developing rather different RQ-4B bird. Compared to the U-2 it also lacks power and cooling - last plan I heard was that the MP-RTIP birds would have no other sensors for this reason.
The other yet-to-be-settled question is: what does the G-H do that a smaller UAV (Predator B for instance) doesn't?
The other yet-to-be-settled question is: what does the G-H do that a smaller UAV (Predator B for instance) doesn't?
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
The accurate speed control needed when flying the U2 was, I believe, in the very narrow band between it's stall speed and Mcrit, and not Mach 1. Mcrit is the speed at which the local Mach number on the airframe (wing!) reaches Mach 1, but the aircraft itself is still subsonic (or is that transonic?).
H Peacock
H Peacock
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
The landing chase car is to assist the pilot in the descent over the last 10 feet or so [it is manned by U2 pilot with radio on tower freq]. The vision from the cockpit is dire in the landing attitude and the height countdown helps the pilot to a smooth landing, preventing the stall on and heavy airframe damage.
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: WHEREVERI'MSENT
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
Still regard it as one of the best platforms that I have ever come across. I know that there are 'problems' with the set up however they still get the job done. Not a lot you can do with a GH if you lose the link. At least the Dragon has a pilot to recover it in the event of a problem.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Temporarily missing from the Joe Louis Arena
Posts: 2,131
Received 27 Likes
on
16 Posts
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
I always wondered that; why does a U-2 have cars escorting it?
They use to use Subura Impreza's rather than Corvettes in Cyprus where the U2's weren't, honest.
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
The vehicle with the pilot in is called 'Mobil' the pilot in the tower is called 'Air Boss' both essential for deps and arrivals for safety reasons. The truck with the 'wheels' is called 'Pogo' is manned by techies who put the outriggers back in once the ac has stopped prior to the taxi back. The wings can slide along the ground as the underside of the wing tip is made of titanium or something equally as strong. Lovely ac lovely people. Scrap the UAV keep the U2.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 887
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
But I thought the U-2 had been replaced decades ago by the TR-1.
And I think Mcrit is when shock waves first form over any part of the aircraft, usually over the cockpit or some other proud part where the air has furthest to go and so is going fastest.
But I might be wrong on both counts.
And I think Mcrit is when shock waves first form over any part of the aircraft, usually over the cockpit or some other proud part where the air has furthest to go and so is going fastest.
But I might be wrong on both counts.
Re: Pentagon to retire U-2 by 2011
And TR1 was a mistake by President Ronald Macdonald, er...sorry Reagan. He had been given a brief which he misread and referred to it as the TR1 wheras the brief mentioned the RT1. Nomatter, they just renamed it TR1 and reprinted all the manuals to save dear old Ronald any (more) embarrassment.