UAV - U2 move over? Ikke enda

Global Hawk Needs $1.9 BN in Upgrades Before U-2 Can Retire

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft still needs nearly USD 2 billion in upgrades so that it can complete all the missions done by the manned Lockheed U-2, which the US Air Force (USAF) wants to retire to save money, a top service official said on 9 June.

“We can only afford one high-altitude ISR platform,” said Lieutenant General Robert Otto, the USAF’s deputy chief of staff for ISR. “But if we don’t fund [Global Hawk] upgrades, I can’t see how we convince the combatant commanders that Global Hawk is it.”
The general was speaking at an Air Force Association event in Arlington, Virginia.
The necessary work consists of upgrades to ground stations, communications and imagery capability, and the Global Hawk’s weather radar, Gen Otto told IHS Jane’s .
According to a USAF spokesman, the entire effort would cost USD1.9 billion over six years.