Michael Marrow covers air warfare for Breaking Defense. He holds a BA in history from the University of Virginia and started out as a freelance reporter covering local news in Fairfax County, Virginia and policing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Michael previously reported on the Air Force and Space Force for Inside Defense, where he tracked major acquisitions, policy changes and modernization efforts.
“We did the AETP line to keep that technology going as we head into sixth-generation aircraft that the Air Force and Navy are hoping to field in the 2030s,” a senior congressional aide said of the decision to seek continued funding for AETP.
An unknown number of new F-35s will be held up as a result of ongoing testing for the TR-3 system, with deliveries expected to start between December 2023 and April 2024.
The subcommittee’s mark would enable the Air Force to continue retirements of the A-10, would impose some limits on development of next-gen fighters and drones and would further ask the Army for reports on major programs.
A new watchdog report warns of a year-long delay for America’s next ICBM, as well as potential schedule slips for F-15EX, KC-46A and the Air Force One replacement.
Lockheed’s selection of GE Aerospace’s CF6 engines comes as the Air Force weighs sole-sourcing a next round of tankers to Boeing or opening up a competition.
Even as developmental hurdles for the T-7A remain, a top Air Force official and representatives from Boeing expressed confidence that the trainer’s recently re-baselined schedule could be met.
Eyeing risks of losses, L3Harris’ Chris Kubasik said, “I think the industry as a whole is going to continue to no-bid these contracts until [DoD uses] the right vehicles.”
A Pratt executive pushed back on a Government Accountability Office report that warned of production delays due to an inventory of engines being cleared out, and stated the company’s engine upgrade for the Joint Strike Fighter can support the jet’s needs through Block 4.
Last year a Boeing executive stated that the sticker price for lots 2 and 3 of the modernized F-15s would be beneath $80 million, but calculations appear to have changed.
The Air Force said months ago it was planning to run flight experiments with the unmanned system, and even though this Ghost Bat was housed not far from an Air Force base, it’s unclear if the testing has begun.
The former fighter pilot and current chief of staff of the Air Force is expected to be a champion for the service’s modernization strategy, as well as an advocate for making the armed services more inclusive.
With Russian engines out of the picture, there’s a new Medium Launch Vehicle on the horizon that is US sourced with a fairing sized to launch constellations.
With Russian engines out of the picture, there’s a new Medium Launch Vehicle on the horizon that is US sourced with a fairing sized to launch constellations.
