rcj@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Robert C. Johnson) (08/16/89)
From: rcj@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Robert C. Johnson) Found this in the August 7th issue of AW&ST: "The house appropriations commitee breathed new life into the SR-71 reconnaissance program, directing that hte mission be transfered to the Air National Guard. The Air Force, which has sought repeatedly to retire the Blackbirds, has been instructed to make changes in the program by March, 1990. The committee added $200 million in Fiscal 1990 to acomplish the restructuring and pay for personnel. The increase is to be offset by an unallocated reduction of the $100 million in the active Air Force budget. The committee intends that reduction to serve as an "incentive" to the service to avoid even larger assesments in Fiscal 1991 by restructuring the program in accordance with the committee's guidelines." This quoted without permission from page 15. All spelling mistakes are mine (so I can't type!). Anyways, I suppose that this means the SR-71's won't be retired on October 1st as has been rumored. However, the line that says the Air Force has 'repeatedly' tried to retire the Blackbirds says that they are either damn confidant of their satelites, or they have another plane already flying....Any comments? -- | Robert C. Johnson | "Minds are like parachutes. | | rcj@attctc.dallas.tx.us | They only function when they are | | (214) 357-5306 | Open." -Sir James Dewar |
nagle@lll-crg.llnl.gov (John Nagle) (08/21/89)
From: well!nagle@lll-crg.llnl.gov (John Nagle) In article <26780@amdcad.AMD.COM> rcj@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Robert C. Johnson) writes: >However, the line that says the >Air Force has 'repeatedly' tried to retire the Blackbirds says >that they are either damn confidant of their satelites, or they >have another plane already flying....Any comments? About six years ago, there was a recruitment ad for the Lockheed Skunk Works which read, simply: "If you missed out on this one," (picture of U-2) "and you missed out on this one," (picture of SR-71) "how'd you like to get in on the next one." They probably meant the Steath fighter/bomber programs, but one wonders. John Nagle