U-2 in flight

Issues of expense, complexity, and delays have undermined the once promising future for the unmanned Global Hawk--to the benefit of the U-2 program. Under the proposed $154.3 billion base budget for the Air Force for fiscal 2013, the service will put an end to the rival RQ-4 "Block 30" Global Hawk program. "The U-2 is a stronger system," with superior performance at a lower operational cost, Air Force Maj. Gen. Edward L. Bolton Jr. said at a Pentagon news briefing on February 13, "so we're going to go with the stronger system."