Well, somrthing needs to scout ahead of the B-52s.
I don't see the logic in this one. A big part of the budget, bigger than the high tech toys, is mundane things like salaries and fuel. Having unmanned vehicles should be able to cut down on both.
I have read that the U-2 is an EXTREMELY difficult and dangerous plane to fly. Certainly, an unmanned plane would do a lot of things better. So, I don’t get it. Pilots (and their training) are REALLY expensive.
The SR-71 was extremely expensive to fly, but it was built in an era where money was no object because there was no alternative, and what it provided was priceless, especially then. I doubt if there is anything in terms of surveillance that satellites couldn’t do now better and cheaper. Still, the SR-71 may remain the pinnacle of American aerospace and mechanical engineering, when “absolutely impossible” was merely difficult and expensive.