NYT: It's Planes vs. Satellites in Debate on Spying

[DeepModem Mom]

It's Planes vs. Satellites in Debate on Spying
By DOUGLAS JEHL

Published: December 16, 2004


WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - An alternative to a new, highly classified $9.5 billion stealth satellite program that is the subject of a Congressional dispute calls on the United States to rely much more heavily on high-flying unmanned aircraft to take pictures of critical targets around the world, former government officials and private experts say.

That alternative is part of a classified proposal endorsed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has tried since September 2003 to kill the new satellite program, the officials and experts said. The Senate panel has portrayed the program as too expensive and unnecessary, but backing from the House, the Bush administration and Congressional appropriators has sustained the program, which is designed to create a new generation of reconnaissance satellites that could orbit undetected.

Among other things, critics of the program say, unmanned aircraft like the Global Hawk and possible successors, which have the ability to keep within range of a target for hours at a time, will be more effective in monitoring critical targets than orbiting satellites, which pass quickly over targets on the earth.

The alternative, endorsed by the Senate Intelligence Committee in authorization bills over the past two years, also calls for greater reliance on other, nonstealthy reconnaissance satellite systems now in existence or in development, including commercial satellites and a new generation of satellites known as the Future Imagery Architecture....

***

Further details were reported in news accounts over the weekend, including the nature of the stealth satellite program, its $9.5 billion cost, its inability to collect images at night or in cloudy weather and the fact that the Lockheed Martin Corporation is the prime contractor. At the request of the National Reconnaissance Office, which is in charge of the classified program, the Justice Department is now weighing whether to investigate how those details were disclosed....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/16/politics/16intel.html

[bemildred]

1. I don't suppose this is the "God's Eye View" bullshit?

The idea of a "stealth satellite system" is ridiculous BTW,
but the great media wurlitzer has long since abandoned coherent
Englsh.

[sweetheart]

2. stealth == "weaponized"

Likely this new batch is armoured, can pursuie evasive maneouvers
and may even be able to burst pulses to disorient other satellites..
... and so cunningly glossed over with stealth.

[bemildred]

3. Armored doesn't seem that useful.

Shielded makes some sense, esp. against EMP attacks.
They still seen like sitting ducks up there to me, to
anyone with the missiles to get up there. I don't see
how they can maneuver much, if they botch up their orbit,
they won't stay up long, and it's not like they carry a
lot of fuel.

[Supersedeas]

4. the Media finally makes the link between Pork & the contractors

but but but the real story is investigating THIS leak