The Air Force's new chief scientist brings a Silicon Valley background to the service's science and technology portfolio, and she told Inside Defense in a recent interview she plans to use her expertise in product management and acquisition to help the service accelerate change.
Aircraft
May 12, 2021
April 30, 2021
Acting Pentagon acquisition chief Stacy Cummings told lawmakers this week the Defense Department wants to focus on "modernizing" the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, rather than accelerate production of the aircraft, which has become the target of renewed congressional criticism.
April 29, 2021
The Defense Department is conducting a business case assessment to better understand its options for long-term sustainment of the F-35 and plans to release its findings this summer.
April 29, 2021
The Air Force One recapitalization program is undergoing a schedule review after prime contractor Boeing reported a pre-tax charge of $318 million -- the second unexpected cost increase since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
April 26, 2021
The Marine Corps will activate, deactivate, or reorganize various units across its aviation, logistics and ground combat forces as the service moves to implement Commandant David Berger's force design efforts, including exploring a transition into a majority-unmanned aviation force.
April 23, 2021
Two top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said this week they won't support any proposal to add F-35s to the Defense Department's fiscal year 2022 budget request, suggesting the practice -- which has become tradition over the last seven years -- has harmed the program and contributed to the services' mounting sustainment costs.
April 22, 2021
Turkey's removal from the F-35 program is increasing the engine cost and requiring contractors Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney to find and certify new suppliers, company representatives said Thursday.
April 22, 2021
The Air Force has grounded 20 F-35s due to engine issues, leading contractor Pratt & Whitney to take steps to address the engine maintenance backlog at Tinker Air Force Base, OK.
April 22, 2021
The Government Accountability Office is recommending the Air Force reconsider its F-35 requirements, including the number of aircraft it plans to buy, in light of concerns around long-term affordability.
April 22, 2021
The F-35 program executive officer told House lawmakers today the program has implemented a "strategic pause" in its transition away from the Autonomic Logistics Information System, driven by "underestimated complexity" and a significant research and development funding reduction in fiscal year 2021.
April 22, 2021
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smtih (D-WA), who will help shape the upcoming defense policy bill, said today he wants the Pentagon to change the way it does business with defense contractors, especially with intellectual property arrangements, so the government can lower costs and promote greater competition.
April 12, 2021
The Air Force has formally recalibrated schedule targets for the two remaining acquisition milestones for the troubled $43.9 billion KC-46A acquisition -- setting March 2022 for Required Assets Available, an objective that would mark initial operational capability delay of more than four years, and September 2024 for a full-rate production review.
April 12, 2021
The Air Force has changed its acquisition strategy for the Stand-in Attack Weapon -- a new strike capability for the F-35 -- and is no longer solely pursuing an upgrade to the extended-range variant of the Navy and Northrop Grumman's Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile.
April 7, 2021
The Defense Department has experienced an increase in ground readiness and a decrease in sea readiness from fiscal year 2017 through FY-19, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Wednesday.
April 1, 2021
The Defense Department this week awarded Lockheed Martin a $7.8 million contract modification to address deficiencies with the F-35's Autonomic Logistics Information System.
April 1, 2021
The general in charge of Air Mobility Command said this week joint wargames and experimentation will play an important role in shaping requirements for a future "family of systems" strategic airlift capability.
March 31, 2021
As some of the Air Force's early Mid-Tier Acquisition programs approach transition points, the service is considering opportunities to increase transparency for those programs and ensure they meet the rapid acquisition pathway criteria.
March 31, 2021
Rear Adm. Gregory Harris said the "family of systems" in the Next-Generation Air Dominance Program will involve a combination of manned and unmanned systems, with the goal "over time" of getting to a 60-40 ratio in favor of unmanned systems.
March 24, 2021
The Air Force's deputy chief of staff told lawmakers this week the service's rate of Class A aviation mishaps per flight hour is down 47% since 2018 and highlighted efforts within the service to implement safety recommendations from the National Commission on Military Aviation Safety.
March 18, 2021
Delays to F-35 Block 4 development drove a $1.9 billion net cost increase between 2019 and 2020, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.