Cord Byrd: “Given the current attrition rate of U-2 aircraft, approximately one a year, the situation will only worsen. Moreover, I…”

“Given the current attrition rate of U-2 aircraft, approximately one a year, the situation will only worsen. Moreover, I understand that the research and development effort to develop unmanned aerial vehicles such as Global Hawk, while promising, is still immature. Yet we do not now have a U-2 production line in place to replace the aircraft that we lose through attrition. In the interests of ensuring that we have an adequate inventory of reconnaissance aircraft to meet the needs of the commanders-in-chief, would the Chairman agree that it would be prudent for the Defense Department to keep its options open and, at a minimum, prepare an analysis of the cost and feasibility of restarting the U-2 production line?”