If you manufacture unmanned spy planes, you might have expected more money out of the defense budget request unveiled today. The Pentagon is asking for barely more money in fiscal 2012 than Congress is currently providing it: $4.8 billion, despite what comptroller Robert Hale called an “insatiable demand” among the services for spy gear.

Next year’s budget asks for $1.7 billion for the high-altitude Global Hawk class of drones, the Air Force drone that can climb to 65,000 feet for long distances. That’s the same amount of money that Congress approved in fiscal 2010 for the program.

But there’s a significant increase in money for Predator-class drones, like the Reaper that the Air Force will now buy and the Army’s version, the Gray Eagle. The military wants to spend $2.5 billion next year on buying the medium-altitude planes, up from $1.7 billion that Congress provided, which it calls “sustainment of maximum production” for the Predator class. Predators are the iconic drones that fire missiles at suspected terrorists.

Anything smaller than that — like, say the Army’s 3-foot, hand-launched Raven — is getting a funding cut. The Pentagon wants $600 million for those low-flying, low-endurance drones, compared to the $1.2 billion for them in the last funding bill Congress passed.

Now, if Congress ultimately does what Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants and passes a defense spending bill for the current fiscal year, fiscal 2011 — which it’s yet to do — then drone cash could actually drop. The Pentagon asked for $5.1 billion for drones for fiscal 2011. But it’s unknown if Congress will actually finish a defense spending bill for this fiscal year, or how much one would contain for drones. (Yes, it’s confusing.) In fiscal 2010, Congress provided $4.5 billion for drones overall.

All told, the new fiscal 2012 defense request envisions purchasing 1,395 drones, fewer than the 1,545 that Congress forked over cash to buy in fiscal 2010. But in addition, the Army says it’s going to take $300 million in money it saved by cutting overhead costs and buy new MC-12 manned spy planes; it’ll also develop a “new vertical unmanned air system,” according to budget documents released today. (A cousin of the Navy’s Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, perhaps?)

It’s a bit striking to see the military not asking for more cash to buy drones, a technology that’s exploded over the past decade. The Pentagon continues its post-9/11 trend of asking for more money for non-war costs, it’s just slowing its rate of growth and expecting to flatline by fiscal 2015. (Requested war funding money is down $41.5 billion, coming in at $117.8 billion for the next fiscal year, since U.S. troops are expected to leave Iraq by Dec. 31.) And few in the military have ever said they’ve got enough spy planes, manned or unmanned. Not to worry, though, drone enthusiasts: in the coming years, the Pentagon expects to spend much more on upgrading its unmanned systems.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

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