Saturday, April 20, 2024
Saturday, April 20, 2024
This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's T-X trainer aircraft as well as the Navy's Columbia-class submarine program.
The Air Force is looking into using the T-X aircraft as more than just a trainer:
Air Force exploring aggressor, light-attack applications for T-X airframe
ORLANDO, FL -- The Air Force is beginning to look at an expanded role for the T-X airframe, according to the head of Air Combat Command, including as an aggressor or as a light-attack aircraft.
More coverage of a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing:
STRATCOM chief 'concerned' about Columbia-class program's ability to absorb further delays
The head of U.S. Strategic Command, an Air Force general with responsibility for the entire nuclear triad, publicly raised concern this week about the ability of the Columbia-class submarine program to absorb further delays in the wake of faulty welding discovered last year, departing from Navy leadership assurances about the schedule for the $126 billion project.
In case you missed it last week, the Army will use a specific kind of acquisition authority to buy prototypes of a SIGINT device the service plans to test on a JLTV:
Army using Section 804 to acquire EW, SIGINT prototype device in FY-20
The Army will use middle-tier acquisition, or Section 804, authority to acquire prototypes in fiscal year 2020 for the base kit of a new ground-based signals intelligence and electronic warfare device to initially be tested on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Also ICYMI, the Defense Department officially unveiled its legislative proposal for the new Space Force:
Pentagon plans to wrestle with consolidation of space assets under new Space Force
Senior defense officials today revealed new details about the Trump administration's proposal for a new Space Force that will operate within the Air Force, acknowledging that plans for consolidating all "national-level" space assets currently managed by other military services could prove challenging in the future.
Document: Space Force legislative proposal, 'strategic overview'
Subsequent to publication, our story about the KC-46 was updated with additional information:
KC-46 acceptance hold remains, Boeing to inspect tankers already delivered
ORLANDO, FL -- The Air Force confirmed Friday it has refused acceptance of two KC-46 tankers after foreign object debris was discovered on Boeing's production line.