Lawmakers concerned about Air Force's ISR capabilities amid Reaper, Global Hawk divestments

By Sara Sirota / May 13, 2020 at 6:44 PM
Lawmakers are voicing concern that the Air Force's fiscal year 2021 plan to divest from legacy drone programs before next-generation platforms are ready could leave a gap in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities -- putting the service on the defensive as budget negotiations ramp up. The Air Force's FY-21 budget request proposes shutting down MQ-9 Reaper production early and retiring the service’s Block 20 and Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawks -- about two-thirds of the fleet. The Air Force is...

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