Naval Air Systems Command is contemplating allocating funding in fiscal year 2011 for aircraft propulsion and power-related technology that monitors engine health, improves power availability, expands the options for alternative fuels and shrinks its aircraft's environmental footprint.

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA -- The Air Force is considering upgrading its squadron of Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors used to train pilots into the combat configuration the rest of the fleet is expected to fashion down the road, Inside the Air Force has learned.

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA -- The Air Force's plan to shift F-22A Raptor sustainment from Lockheed Martin to a service-run operation is being reconsidered, Inside the Air Force has learned.

Air Force officials believe they know 80 to 90 percent of what is needed to extend the lives of 300 F-16s even though full-scale fatigue testing will not be completed until 2014.

As the Navy and Boeing celebrate the one millionth flight hour for the T-45 Goshawk jet trainer aircraft, the program is in the midst of an effort to increase the projected service life of the aircraft by about 50 percent, officials said last week.

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA -- The Air Force plans to use its fleet of Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance airplanes strictly to build tactics, techniques and procedures for partner nations looking to purchase similar aircraft, not actual pilot training, according to a service official.

Air Force officials plan to extend the lives of 300 F-16s by replacing or fixing bulkheads on the aircraft, according to a Lockheed Martin official.

The Air Force plans to procure 221 advanced active electronically scanned array radars for the F-15E Strike Eagle in an effort to push back a date for grounding portions of the fleet, according to a service spokesman.

A leading Dutch news agency reported this week that political negotiators in The Hague have agreed that the new government of the Netherlands should cut defense spending by 300 million euros ($380 million) and remain in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

The Marine Corps will finally deploy its Harvest Hawk kit to Afghanistan in September for use on KC-130J aircraft after another delay due to difficulty incorporating the weapon on the aircraft, an official and a Marine spokesman told Inside the Navy recently.

The Marine Corps' response to apocalyptic flooding in Pakistan is not putting a strain on other operations in the region yet, but the number of helicopters being used in the relief operation is eventually going to boost the service's reset bill down the road, according to the director of operations at Marine Corps headquarters.

Air Force officials estimate that extending the lives of 300 F-16s could cost about $2.6 billion, but a firm cost estimate might not be known until May 2014, according to a recently released Government Accountability Office report.

U.S. Southern Command and its Air Force component are looking to retool a Latin American aircraft modernization program, a move that will likely not include the United States purchasing the planes and giving them to the partner countries, Inside the Air Force has learned.

Companies competing for the Afghan air force's light-attack plane contract will also need to supply simulators and other ground-based training equipment, according to recently released acquisition documents.

As China's air force continues to grow it is using U.S. and Russian shifting models to transition from a limited defensive service into an agile force that can conduct off-shore offensive missions, according to a Pentagon report released this week.

The Army plans to conduct a large-scale demonstration at the end of fiscal year 2011 to prove interoperability between its fleets of manned and unmanned aviation assets, according to a service official.

A recent report on the P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft submitted to Congress by Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley paints a bleak picture of an aging aircraft that is unable to meet the high demand placed on it and faces increasing risk of catastrophic failures during operations.

After months of frustration with what a senior Marine official termed a "stubborn" airplane, the first Marine Corps F-35 Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft, BF-1, is finally getting back on track with testing, an official said in an interview with Inside the Navy Aug. 6.

The Marine Corps is looking to permanently base an additional 51 aircraft in Hawaii, a move that would consolidate its Marine Air Ground Task Force training capabilities, according to a July 29 notice in the Federal Register. The Hawaii MAGTF is currently missing elements of air combat ability, and the move is intended to fill in these holes.

The Air Force has yet to grant Northrop Grumman all the security clearances needed to operate the F-22A Raptor simulator at full capability in virtual environments where pilots can fly and train in real-time with other service pilots and ground units, Inside the Air Force has learned.