Pentagon cost-cuttting: Change manned spy plane of the past to super drone of the future

Defense officials say they have found a way to achieve much-needed cost cuts while weeding out wasteful duplication in the nation’s aerial spying program: Remove expensive sensors from the Pentagon’s aging U-2 spy planes and attach them to Global Hawk surveillance drones.

It’s uncertain, however, whether Congress will consider the plan, which is among the more eye-opening aspects of the Obama administration’s vast defense budget restructuring.

According to an internal Air Force memo obtained by The Washington Times, the Pentagon wants to spend roughly $2 billion enhancing its fleet of Global Hawk drones over the coming decade, with about $500 million to transfer the sensors.

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