Given the apparent new confidence of the intelligence community in the Space Radar—which promises fine-grained, all-weather imagery, as well as surface moving target information—the Air Force’s decision to keep an elaborate intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance suite off of its future penetrating bomber makes a little more sense. Top USAF officials have insisted that, to keep costs down, the new bomber will rely on “offboard” sensor systems resident on other aircraft and satellites. If the Space Radar will truly provide persistent coverage with high granularity, the bomber could well rely on such information for targeting and situational awareness, assuming an enemy doesn’t employ anti-satellite weapons.
USAF to Cut F-35 Buy in Future Years Defense Plan
May 14, 2021
The Air Force wants to scale back buys of the F-35 over the next five years, hoping to get sustainment costs down and to wait for the more capable Block 4 version, according to talking points prepared for Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The reduced buy will…