USAF renews bid to serve as UAV executive agent

[HeyJoe]

USAF tried unsuccessfully to become the Executive Agent for medium to high altitude UAVS in 2005m but hasn't given up and now LTGEN Dave Depula (their wunkerkid from Desert Storm Checkmate fame) is leading the charge. The other services are up in arms and this has gone to the JROC no less than 3 times and now Congress is weighing in so watch for more feathers ion the air.

Note: USAF also recently bailed out of the J-UCAS program leaving Navy to go it alone as UCAS-D. Navy is also reviewing bids for Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) and has two Global Hawks currently at Pax River so this move by USAF isn't being received well.

 

[STLEngineer]

I sure hope this doesn't go through. The AF doesn't really have a leg to stand on here. If the Navy wants to have their own UAVs designed our way, we have that right. We shouldn't be subjugated to the AF. What's next? They'll want to be in charge of all aircraft too?

On a side note, I for one am glad the general's career is doing well. I was in the same fraternity with his son in college. We didn't see eye to eye on everything (Navy vs. Airforce), but he was a good kid (flying F-15s now). Stayed at his house at Langly once... O-7's rate pretty nice base housing... right on the water, absolutely beautiful.

 

[gaijin6423]

They don't already try to dictate what all aircraft do? Anyone talked to the CAOC recently? They have a nasty habit of doing whatever the hell they want, inside or outside of their AO, to include clearing anyone and everyone into Marine AOs, regardless of what's going on at that given point in time. We were trying to figure out if it's because they're incompetant or because they just don't give a damn about anyone else, but we came to the conclusion that they're either probably just trying to retain a sense of relevance in the current conflict. Either that, or they really are trying to run everyone else's shit.

To the USAF's and CAOC's credit, though, they are generally willing to push their birds to the DASC in order to help us out. I just don't like the way they go about life in general.

 

[aircav06]

Its yet another USAF roles and missions battle. The USAF continues to fight over missiles, space, special operations helos and other aircraft to keep themselves relevant. Now its UAS.

Remember the Key West agreement from the early 1960s? USAF wanted the Army's armed OV-1s and Caribou transport aircraft even though Army guys were flying them where no USAF aircraft would go.

Now we are now in a program with the USAF to buy C-27 Spartans that will do same mission. I think we've come full circle.

I think they're now scared the Army has an armed Predator UAS varient coming on line soon.