After rancorous debate, a new engine for the stealth fighter was already in doubt, but legislation released by congressional appropriators today seemingly puts the issue to rest.
By Michael MarrowModernizing our supply chain is a national security imperative
Closing supply chain gaps in innovating technology will reposition the industrial base to be a strategic source of value.
The combination of delaying F/A-XX development and shutting down F/A-18 production may not go well for Navy leadership when they testify to lawmakers.
By Justin Katz
“Like all programs, the continuing resolution has the potential to have an impact. We have not worked through all the details if we had a sequestration scenario,” Pratt & Whitney’s Jennifer Latka said about a stalled budget on Capitol Hill. “What I know now is that our schedule is on track, that we have identified funding to continue, and that’s not to say that that situation cannot change.”
By Michael Marrow
Air Force Lt. Gen. Rick Moore also spoke favorably of investing in “surge” capacity for things like munitions production, though he said the idea may not be popular outside the Air Force.
By Michael Marrow
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he is waiting for Congress to approve his plan for “several billion dollars” over the next five years for the CCA program.
By Theresa Hitchens
“It’s hard to make large capital investments when your business is not as healthy as it could be or you want it to be,” said Boeing’s Steve Nordlund. “But that’s the time that you also have to make those hard decisions, so you come out on the other side much stronger.”
By Michael Marrow
Strong demand for the Joint Strike Fighter means a production crunch is lurking, a top US Air Force general tells Breaking Defense. But expanding production could be risky business for industry.
By Michael Marrow
ROC-X – The solution to organic precision strike capabilities
At AUSA Global Force 2024, IAI will present integrated, AI-driven combat systems – both manned and unmanned – that are opening new opportunities on the battlefield.
“We have a firm grasp on what the requirements are,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Dale White, program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft, concerning the service’s plans to field drones that can join jets in combat.
By Michael Marrow
The Air Force worked with engine-maker Pratt & Whitney to fix the planes in the field and during regular maintenance over three years.
By Michael Marrow
In an interview with Breaking Defense, Lockheed exec Greg Ulmer pushed back on the Pentagon’s complaints about technical data sharing, and said the firm is working with the DoD on better ways to track spare parts.
By Michael Marrow
In a high-profile public spat with little precedence between the airframe and engine giants, Pratt & Whitney executives are formally accusing Lockheed Martin of prioritizing its own bottom line by seeking an adaptive engine solution for the Joint Strike Fighter.
By Michael Marrow and Aaron Mehta
“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.
By Michael Marrow
“We have not received any proposals yet but we expect multiple proposals in the future,” an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
By Michael Marrow
Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said the service anticipates somewhere between 20-30 competitors to build the drones themselves, and that a similar number of contractors are already part of a vendor pool providing autonomous technologies.
By Michael Marrow
