And no. Retrofitting and testing is Feb-April from one account and following (from your links) an account pushing that back to August.
So. It took Sept to Feb (5 months) to get from theater to Nevada. Testing Feb to April (or worse...August)...how long to get back? Gee...your generosity gives them weeks.
[link|http://www.azstarnet.com/attack/indepth/id-CIAdrones.html|http://www.azstarnet...id-CIAdrones.html]
By early spring this year, the CIA had brought the Predators back to the United States and was actively pushing the Air Force to equip them with Hellfire missiles for a possible redeployment in Afghanistan. Tests in Nevada dragged on through the summer as technicians tried to refine the plane's ability to fire accurately at targets from high altitudes. By August, officials say, the kinks had been worked out and the planes were ready to go.
But even then, the Bush administration was riddled with doubts about whether it wanted to go forward with a new, more forceful mission over Afghanistan. The risks, officials say, were huge. Top Bush Cabinet officials convened several times in late summer to discuss the pros and cons of going forward.
Even >worse< for your case because it pushes mission readiness of the drones into August.
I see..."riddled with doubts" is the same as ordering them grounded.