Henry Spencer wrote:
In article . com,
Ed Kyle wrote:
Air Force will launch its last Delta II in FY2007.
Delta II will then transition to NASA-only.

Of course, the USAF hasn't actually launched any Delta IIs for quite
a
while now, and neither has NASA. Both buy Delta II launches from
Boeing.


On the slide, it actually says:
"Last AF Delta II - Transfer to NASA".

The Air Force fostered the development of Delta II
in the same way that it fostered EELV, so it shows
up on Power Point presentations given by Colonels
as an Air Force asset, even though it is contracted
commercially. But Boeing hasn't sold Delta II
launches to anyone but the U.S. Government lately,
so the Government has de-facto control.

A cynic would say that Delta II's departure from USAF service has
been
predicted before... It's not likely to actually happen unless they
get
some competing launchers in that size range.


I remember when they shut down the production
line - when they shipped the last Delta to the
Cape - in the mid 1980s - 150-ish Delta launches
ago. But times are changing. The Air Force has
shut down Titan II and discontinued use of Atlas II.
They're prepping for the last Titan IVs - after
which hundreds of their favorite contractors will
be pink-slipped.

By allowing two EELVs, the Air Force has been
forced to use them. To fund them (and it's
costing a lot more than originally planned to fund
them), it appears that they've been forced to
divest other space launch assets.

Trimmed to only NASA missions, Delta II launch
costs will rise. Then the writing will finally be
on the wall for Thor-Delta - the last Cold War
"missile gap" rocket - unless a problem arises
with the EELVs.

- Ed Kyle