Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!dave@questar.questar.mn.org
From: dave@questar.questar.mn.org (David Becker)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: SR-71 going to pasture?
Summary: say it ain't so
Message-ID: <5641@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 14 Apr 89 01:12:15 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Questar Data Systems; St. Paul, MN
Lines: 31
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: dave@questar.questar.mn.org (David Becker)

An editorial yesterday is the latest rumor I've heard that the
SR-71 Blackbird is to be retired.  Postings in rec.aviation say the
plane has been showing up more often at air shows implying it is being
put to pasture for recruiting.

The editorial said the air force is doing this to save money. Satellites
can now do their job.  The author disaggrees.  He writes the SRs are
capable of much surveillence which satellites can't handle.  Also the
government has a policy of not releasing satellite photos but will
release other photos.  No more SRs would mean no more Cuban Missile
Crisis type photos.

His second point isn't very strong but I agree wholeheartedly with the
idea that SRs can do recon in ways satellites can't.  It would be
stupid to junk these assets.  Of course this is military intelligence. :-)

Presumably the AF has a replacement in the works.  Any rumors out
there?  What are the AF plans build an orbit-on-demand type plane?

gee-whiz follows:
You'd think 25 or so years after SRs were built we'd be able to handle it.
25 years before the SRs was the beginning of WWII.  25 years after the
SRs we have B-1 and 2.  Oh well.
-- 
David Becker 
and another bug bites, and another bug bites   another bug bites the dust
db@kolonel.MN.ORG