부시 대통령이 2년간 단계적으로 뉴멕시코 Holloman 기지의 F-117을 퇴역시킨다고 하네요. 우선 내년 예산계획(예산 청사진)에 F-117 10대를 퇴역시키고 2008년까지 모두 퇴역시키려고 합니다. F-117은 1992년부터 Holloman 기지에 배치되었는데, 뉴 멕시코 상원의원은 F-117을 퇴역을 막으려고 애썼지만 결국 이런 뉴스가 전해져서 낙담했다고 합니다.(미국은 공군기지가 있는곳에 지원금 같은것이 있나요? 우리와는 다른 분위기...) F-117은 최초의 스텔스 전투기로 1981년에 초도비행을 했고, 1,2차 이라크 전쟁을 비롯해서 많은 전쟁터의 최전방에서 활약한 전투기 입니다. 하지만 현재 F-117을 대체할만한 기종이 없는 마당에 F-117의 퇴역을 받아들이기 쉬울런지 의문이 됩니다. 어제 차세대 무인폭격기 얘기를 하면서 잠깐 언급했지만 X-45C와 X-47B의 포기 가능성도 언급되었었고, X-45C 계획이 정상적으로 진행된다고 해도 2010년까지 기다려야 하는 상황이라서 너무 성급한 퇴역이 아닌가? 하는 의구심이 드네요. 개인적인 생각으로는 X-45C, X-47B의 전면적인 포기는 없을것 같습니다. 어차피 차세대 폭격기와 X-45C, X-47B는 성격이 다르고, 2018년 이후에나 폭격기 배치가 가능하다는 점과 F-117의 대안이 없다는 점 때문입니다. 그나저나 왜 글이 짤린건지 모르겠네요. 허~~ 참 " http://www.borderlandnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/NEWS/60207002/1001 " Bush proposal suggests phase-out of F-117s of HollomanAFB By JENNIFER TALHELM Associated Press Tuesday, February 7, 2006 WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has proposed phasing out over two years all the Air Force's F-117 stealth fighter jets located at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base, a move that would represent a major cut in the base's mission. Bush's $2.77 trillion budget blueprint for 2007 would retire 10 of the sleek, triangular fighters next year. The plan released Monday suggests eliminating the rest of the Air Force's F-117 Nighthawks in the 2008 budget. All the planes have been located at Holloman, near Alamogordo, N.M., since 1992. New Mexico's senators have fought off previous efforts by the Bush administration to cut the aging stealth fighters, which were pivotal in the first Iraq war. This is the first time the president has made the case for retiring the jets in just two years. The plans alarmed both senators, who vowed in a joint statement to ensure the fighters aren't removed until a new mission can be found to replace them. "Today's news is certainly disappointing," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. "But I know that Holloman Air Force Base is an excellent facility that will play a major role in the future." Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said: "The only questions that remain are: What will replace the F-117 and when will the transition take place? We will work very hard with the Pentagon to ensure that the transition is seamless, and that the impact on the community is minimal." The senators last year inserted language in defense spending bills that prohibited the Pentagon from retiring the stealth fighter. Previous spending proposals called for retiring the jets by 2011. Bush's budget plan must be approved by Congress, and lawmakers often make significant changes. Base officials addressed the proposal during a news conference Monday. "It is appropriate that (the Air Force) must retire older, less capable aircraft like the F-117," said Tom Fuller, Holloman's chief of media relations. The stealth fighter, designed in the 1960s, first flew in 1981. Once the premier low observable aircraft, it has been surpassed by newer, more efficient planes, said Dan Goure, a military expert at the Arlington, Va.-based Lexington Institute. The Air Force is in a tricky position as it moves toward using fewer, higher-tech planes, Goure said. As the Air Force downsizes, it will mean difficult decisions about which bases keep which planes. "We have an abundance of bases and a shortage of aircraft," he said. Domenici and Bingaman said they are optimistic the Air Force will want to keep Holloman healthy. Last year, the Pentagon recommended closing Cannon Air Force Base, near Clovis, N.M., but left Holloman virtually unscathed. "Holloman offers the Air Force great flying weather, excellent air space, super facilities and an exceptional relationship with the local community of Alamogordo," Fuller said. An Air Force team visited Holloman in mid-January to survey the facilities and capabilities as a possible future home for the F-22, the Air Force's newest stealth fighter, Fuller said. He said it is too early to speculate whether the military would choose Holloman to house those planes. Holloman has also been considered for other possible weapons systems, he said.