d01100100 t1_j1v2yfn wrote
Reply to comment by billpalto in Air Force quietly speeds up plans to eliminate spy planes on the front line of America's fentanyl war by jivatman
The C-26 is based off a 1970's airliner that hasn't been produced for over 2 decades. It becomes prohibitively more expensive to support a growing list of airframes that are no longer in production (i.e. B-52s, A-10s), and for a task they don't feel should be their job they're not going to fight for it.
> Specifically, keeping the 11 RC-26s still in the fleet costs the Air National Guard $30 million per year, Loh said.
damnthistrafficjam t1_j1v9z2c wrote
Shouldn’t this really be the concern and the responsibility of the DEA?
d01100100 t1_j1vf1nc wrote
There's multiple departments this could fall into.
DEA shares concurrent jurisdiction with the FBI, ICE and CBP (both of which are under the DOJ and DHS). Getting the USAF involves just includes another high level department (DOD).
The DEA has its own aviation division. It has approximately 135 Special Agent/Pilots and 100 aircraft.
fvb955cd t1_j1wj8ua wrote
DEA is also dwarfed by DHS/Customs, which has 240 aircraft, putting it between the Cuban and Saudi Arabian air forces for the most air assets, at number 21 overall. A lot of their stuff is dod hand-me-downs like awacs, p3s, predator drones, whereas DEA seems to mostly be Cessnas and the like.
pinkmeanie t1_j1x0kgw wrote
The DEA has a fucking AWACS?! What for?
d01100100 t1_j1xkgp8 wrote
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Customs_and_Border_Protection
It's not an E-3 Sentry, but the smaller P-3 Orion.
fvb955cd t1_j1x20fa wrote
No, customs does, for tracking other ships and aircraft.
[deleted] t1_j1vrinb wrote
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