Engineering problems encountered with the KC-46 tanker's integrated fuel system will delay a low-rate initial production decision, according to the Air Force.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Sunday, May 5, 2024
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Courtney Albon was senior editor for aviation and space at Inside Defense until December 2021. She covered the Air Force since 2012, reporting largely on space programs and fighter aircraft acquisition, development and budget from inside Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and from military installations around the United States. Courtney previously worked as a general assignment reporter at The Ashland Times-Gazette in Ashland, OH, covering education and local government. She graduated from American University in 2008, where she studied journalism and sociology.
Engineering problems encountered with the KC-46 tanker's integrated fuel system will delay a low-rate initial production decision, according to the Air Force.
Measures proposed in the House and Senate Armed Services committee marks of fiscal year 2016 defense policy legislation requiring the Defense Department to change the way it procures wideband satellite communication services are premature, disruptive and potentially cost prohibitive, according to the Defense Department.
The Air Force successfully launched its 10th Global Positioning System IIF satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida.
The Government Accountability Office issued a report today validating the Air Force's analysis and forward planning for the C-130.
Air Force Acquisition Executive William LaPlante said this week that the top contributor to the Defense Department's struggle to keep development programs on schedule is software challenges -- and he isn't sure how close the department is to finding a solution.
Air Force reservists will play a significant role in the service's plan to establish a cadre of qualified, experienced maintainers to stand up the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
A consortium of satellite communications providers is concerned that the House Appropriations Committee's proposed $140 million cut to the Air Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite program could mean significant delays to an effort to demonstrate protected communications capabilities.
Lockheed Martin on June 22 delivered the latest iteration of its F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System to the Marine Corps -- a key component of the service's initial operational capability requirement.
The Air Force said today it is too soon to tell what impact SpaceX's recent launch failure will have on future launch competition.
A panel of Air Force and Defense Department officials told House authorizers this week that proposed legislation from the Senate Armed Services Committee limiting the department's use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine would eliminate "multiple" opportunities for competitive launch over the next few years, and would eliminate the United Launch Alliance from competition beginning in fiscal year 2018.
Lockheed Martin announced June 16 that it will team with Raytheon and Bombardier to compete for the Air Force's Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System.
The Air Force estimates that opting for a competitive acquisition strategy for its Presidential Airlift Recapitalization program could have added an extra $200 million to $400 million in duplicative costs, according to a redacted justification document released this week.
The Air Force on June 12 awarded Raytheon a $30.9 million contract for its first Small Diameter Bomb II low-rate initial production lot.
Northrop Grumman announced today that it will team with Gulfstream and L-3 Communications to compete to recapitalize the Air Force's Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System fleet.
The Air Force estimates the cost of damages associated with a June 2014 F-35 fire exceeded $50 million, according to a recently released accident investigation board report.
The Air Force has released a formal request for proposals to develop a new rocket-propulsion system -- and while the service intends to ultimately develop at least two alternatives to replace the Atlas V launch vehicle, it has made room for flexibility in its acquisition strategy should Congress direct it to take an engine-centric approach.
House appropriators want to scrap Air Force plans to launch the 20th -- and last remaining -- spacecraft in the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, and are questioning the legitimacy of the service's requirement for the legacy weather satellite.
All of the F-35 partner nations are interested in joining a three-year, block-buy plan for the aircraft, which the Pentagon's acquisition chief expects will yield double-digit procurement savings.
The Air Force has certified SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle to fly national security space launch missions, setting the stage for the first competitive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle-class missions in about 10 years.
Senate authorizers want to limit F-35 Joint Strike Fighter funding until the Air Force assures Congress that aircraft delivered in fiscal year 2018 will be equipped with the hardware, software and weapons carriage needed for full combat capability.