Russian bombers penetrated U.S. airspace

a reply to: orangetom1999

The WB-57s aren't currently flying recon missions, they've been flying as BACN relays over Afghanistan, until the additional aircraft being used as relays are ready.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: orangetom1999

The WB-57s aren't currently flying recon missions, they've been flying as BACN relays over Afghanistan, until the additional aircraft being used as relays are ready.

Yes...I am certain that these planes no longer fly such recon missions. But the packages can quickly be switched out to other uses...such as the BACN equipment you describe.

Communications links or repeaters...encoding and such would be necessary in Afghanistan with the terrain not suited to FM Transmissions..line of sight. But an airborne relay/repeater platform would work well...made to order. I also believe this aircraft has very long legs and can stay up a long long time. Once again..made to order for that job.

I was astonished to find out that they are retiring the Global Hawk aircraft or perhapsed not producing as many as first forecast...they seem like they would be ideally suited to this kind of work and are unmanned. It must not have worked out. These are also very very expensive aircraft which also would explain why it is not used for such jobs. But this aircraft also has very very long legs and can stay up a long time.

I am also sure that much of the olde recon functions are now done by drone or satellite. But the military understands back up systems if much of the normal system goes down.

I am thinking... though my memory is a bit hazy on this ...is not NASA also the last owners/caretakers of the last of the SR 71 aircraft?? Same thing with this WB 57. I think the difference here in the two aircraft outside of obvious performance parameters is the maintenance costs of each flight.
Some people joke that the SR 71s could outrun anything but a budget cut. But the U2s are still flying and apparently so too with the last of the WB 57s. There must be in incredible and telling difference in the cost per flight.

And by the way...NASA also has Global Hawks. I should also probably note that NASA is not all that people automatically assume NASA is..by the various aircraft they fly. I will leave it at that.

Also as I recall..back in those days ..the RB 57s came about because the Air Force did not have enough U2s to meet the missions which were coming up. Same with the SR 71s. They just did not have enough of them for the mission demands in those days.

Nonetheless...in those days as a teenager ..it was an incredible aircraft to see fly the way it did. And I live right here...next to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where they have the F22s. I am not as impressed with them as I was with this RB 57.

Thanks Zaph for your post,
Orangetom

Hey Zaph...

I just read the Wiki article on BACN....very interesting and telling.

en.wikipedia.org...

Thanks for informing me on this.

Orangetom

a reply to: orangetom1999

The plan to kill the Global Hawk was killed. They just added airframes to the inventory.

As for the SR-71, NASA retired them a few years after they started flying them. They finished their experiments with them, and didn't have anything to justify their costs to keep them flying. There are other platforms that have taken up the slack.

As for BACN, it came about because the F-22 can only talk to other F-22s, and nothing else. That kinda defeats the whole mixed force thing they wanted.

a reply to: Zaphod58

As for BACN, it came about because the F-22 can only talk to other F-22s, and nothing else. That kinda defeats the whole mixed force thing they wanted.

LOL LOL LOL!!! I know this is not funny out here in the real world..but it begs the question..."What were they thinking??"

I understand that electronics can give one away..even a brief encoded radio transmission...but what were they thinking. There are times they need to talk before they shoot.

Indeed it defeats the mixed force thing.

Thanks again,
Orangetom

a reply to: orangetom1999

Trust me, when I heard that, I found the nearest brick wall and beat my head against it repeatedly.