The Air Force’s top intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) officer wants Lockheed Martin [LMT] to make its case for the optionally-manned U-2 replacement the company is developing.
“What gap would it fill that is not currently being filled,” Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR Lt. Gen. Robert Otto told reporters Thursday during a Defense Writers Group (DWG) breakfast in Washington. “What would cause us to do the upgrade?”
Lockheed Martin in mid-September announced that it was studying a stealthy TR-X design that would incorporate the best features of the U-2. These include high-altitude flight, ISR and rapid deployment with the addition of optional manning, alternative payloads and an open mission systems architecture, Lockheed Martin said on its website.
Otto said the Air Force’s current ISR airframes, the U-2 and the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, “certainly” have the legs to last through 2025 and “much longer.” He said he hasn’t had a meeting with Lockheed Martin about the U-2 replacement. Otto said the Air Force recently released a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) plan that details what capabilities the Air Force wants for aircraft in 25 years.
Otto said the Air Force, in the future, will want RPAs capable of use in anti-access/area-denial (A2AD) environments, which the service expects to be more lethal 10 years from now. He also said the Air Force expects greater proliferation of surface-to-air missiles (SAM), which will also have greater ranges.
The Air Force also wants in its future RPAs low observable characteristics and the ability to be all-weather. Collision avoidance will also be important, he said, as will exquisite sensors that will allow the service to either stand in and do geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) or signals intelligence (SIGINT) observation or stand out and have the range.
Lockheed Martin said on its website technology threats are advancing daily and the TR-X will be the platform to keep the Defense Department informed. Calls to Lockheed Martin for comment were not answered by press time.