Inside the Air Force highlights

Highlights from this week's issue of Inside the Air Force:

1. The new head of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program expects to have approval of a new plan by late October that will allow it to continuously develop software capabilities following the completion of the post-system development and demonstration phase.

Full Story: F-35 PEO eyes approval for new follow-on modernization plan in October

2. The Air Force has strongly opposed a new proposal to establish a separate Space Corps, alleging it would be too expensive and disruptive -- but some analysts and former Defense Department officials are puzzled by the service's response to an organizational change they say could help manage the space domain.

Full Story: Analysts, former DOD officials question USAF pushback on Space Corps

3. The Government Accountability Office this week released an unclassified explanation of its decision to scrap protests filed by Boeing and Bombardier that contested the Air Force's decision to let L3 Technologies choose the next Compass Call platform, among other aspects of the service's effort to re-host the system onto another aircraft.

Full Story: New GAO document sheds light on Compass Call protest ruling