Kristyn Jones, who is performing the duties of the under secretary of the Air Force, warned that modernization initiatives aimed at countering China would also be at risk if a budget impasse in Congress stretches on.
A senior Space Force official said the Air Force was getting "rid" of the current structure as part of a great power reoptimization, but later walked back his comments as "not concrete."
Progress on CCA, the AI-piloted “loyal wingman,” and JADC2 command networks will stall if Congress cannot pass funding for fiscal 2024, the Air Force Secretary warned – while China races ahead.
David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, told Breaking Defense several options could power the company's Gambit drone offering, and that the Air Force has been more forthcoming with cost expectations behind closed doors.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he is waiting for Congress to approve his plan for "several billion dollars" over the next five years for the CCA program.
Kendall also expressed concern about the effects of a likely continuing resolution on key programs, including the Advanced Battle Management System and the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile.
A five-year funding chart included in the strategy shows a steep increase in planned missile warning spending.
While over 900 F-35s have been produced, the program has technically been stuck in its initial operational testing phase for years over the delayed completion of the trials.
Amid the political clash and a lawmaker's call for yet another investigation, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed that he and SPACECOM leader Gen. Jim Dickinson also disagreed over where the new HQ should be.
“I’d go so far as say if you drive north of the National Cathedral on Connecticut Avenue, that popping sound you hear is not stray gunfire. It is champagne corks at the Chinese embassy bouncing off the walls,” Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly said.
“We're still hopeful of having first flight this year,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. “If I were to say it will, I would be making a very specific prediction, and I never do that about an acquisition program for something that hasn't happened yet.”
“What I would say is, be on the lookout [because] there's going to be a CCA near you… because we're gonna need them around just about everywhere,” Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said.
Service officials hope that Congress will back Secretary Frank Kendall’s proposal to allow some new programs to begin early work, even if a continuing resolution is in place.
Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's letter didn’t specify what “broader and more comprehensive” changes officials are examining, though he did note the review is set to conclude by January 2024.
The Air Force fired another all-up round test of the Lockheed Martin-made ARRW, but like a previous test that a top official later admitted fell short of its goals, the service won’t claim that this test met all its objectives.