Air Force’s outgoing acquisition chief on NGAS, CCA and his biggest regrets
Speaking to Breaking Defense, Andrew Hunter said that the CCA loyal wingman program is proof the Air Force can move forward in new directions.
Speaking to Breaking Defense, Andrew Hunter said that the CCA loyal wingman program is proof the Air Force can move forward in new directions.
The trainer’s production decision, or Milestone C date, will be pushed back to 2026, and Boeing will be given an opportunity to make more money if it adds new improvements to the jet, a top Air Force official tells Breaking Defense.
“It's fair to say we pay a lot of attention to what the Chinese are doing. And so, not everything that becomes public is a shock,” Andrew Hunter said when asked about new images of purported Chinese fighters. “But having said that, their pace is incredibly fast.”
With Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy set to co-lead a commission that could recommend cuts to the Pentagon, many previously unthinkable options may be on the table for the US Air Force as the second Trump administration takes over Washington.
The Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is expected to carry out its first flight next year and field operational drone wingmen by the end of the decade.
A recent request for information for NGAS to industry represents a new approach that seeks to gather feedback from more vendors earlier in the procurement process, according to Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter.
The Air Force Secretary emphasized whatever plane flies with CCAs, it'll be manned and will need line-of-sight to maintain "tight control."
The review was to examine whether the Air Force was moving too fast in pushing the plane into the EMD phase, but there was no EMD phase after all.
The service is partially reversing course on a planned cut of 38 aircraft, and plans to add back in 14 Grey Wolf helicopters in its upcoming budget request for a fleet size of “at least” 56.
The hefty pricetag comes in part due to the need to integrate US-specific requirements on planes already flown by American allies, the company and the Air Force have said.
Michigan’s defense ecosystem and expertise makes it a special asset for production.
Shay Assad, a former Pentagon director of defense pricing, is back assisting the Air Force on three programs - and could be tagged for more in the future.
The pricetag to put new engines on the decades-old bomber has jumped from $12.5 billion to $15 billion, while an effort to integrate a new radar has climbed to $3.3 billion from an original forecast of $2.3 billion, service officials revealed.
“I think there are elements of the ground infrastructure where there may be opportunities for competition that we can add to the acquisition strategy for Sentinel," said Andrew Hunter, the Air Force's top acquisition official.
“Since not everything that we contracted for has been delivered, payment is also not complete. We will not pay for that which we have not yet received,” said Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter.