It’s official: The F-35 will not get a new engine anytime soon
After rancorous debate, a new engine for the stealth fighter was already in doubt, but legislation released by congressional appropriators today seemingly puts the issue to rest.
Navy delaying next-gen F/A-XX fighter spending for near-term investments
The combination of delaying F/A-XX development and shutting down F/A-18 production may not go well for Navy leadership when they testify to lawmakers.
Pratt & Whitney targets 2029 for upgraded F-35 engine deliveries
“Like all programs, the continuing resolution has the potential to have an impact. We have not worked through all the details if we had a sequestration scenario,” Pratt & Whitney's Jennifer Latka said about a stalled budget on Capitol Hill. “What I know now is that our schedule is on track, that we have identified funding to continue, and that’s not to say that that situation cannot change.”
‘We will have to find the money’: After cost breach, Air Force doubles down on Sentinel ICBM
Air Force Lt. Gen. Rick Moore also spoke favorably of investing in "surge" capacity for things like munitions production, though he said the idea may not be popular outside the Air Force.
Air Force plans production of CCA wingman drones by FY28: Kendall
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.
Boeing’s multibillion dollar bet: Invest in new facilities now for defense payoff in future
“It's hard to make large capital investments when your business is not as healthy as it could be or you want it to be,” said Boeing's Steve Nordlund. “But that's the time that you also have to make those hard decisions, so you come out on the other side much stronger.”
Countries keep buying the F-35. Can Lockheed keep up with production demands?
Strong demand for the Joint Strike Fighter means a production crunch is lurking, a top US Air Force general tells Breaking Defense. But expanding production could be risky business for industry.
For NGAD’s new capabilities, Air Force turns to ‘about… a dozen’ non-traditional vendors: General
“We have a firm grasp on what the requirements are,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Dale White, program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft, concerning the service’s plans to field drones that can join jets in combat.
Turbine ‘fatigue’ issue forced F-22 engine retrofit, Air Force says
The Air Force worked with engine-maker Pratt & Whitney to fix the planes in the field and during regular maintenance over three years.
Lockheed eyes locking down next F-35 production agreement by end of year
In an interview with Breaking Defense, Lockheed exec Greg Ulmer pushed back on the Pentagon's complaints about technical data sharing, and said the firm is working with the DoD on better ways to track spare parts.
Pratt blasts Lockheed’s ‘confusing and misleading’ adaptive engine advocacy (Exclusive)
In a high-profile public spat with little precedence between the airframe and engine giants, Pratt & Whitney executives are formally accusing Lockheed Martin of prioritizing its own bottom line by seeking an adaptive engine solution for the Joint Strike Fighter.
After being axed by the Pentagon, alternate F-35 engine sees funding in key NDAA draft
“We did the AETP line to keep that technology going as we head into sixth-generation aircraft that the Air Force and Navy are hoping to field in the 2030s,” a senior congressional aide said of the decision to seek continued funding for AETP.
2 companies have worked on Air Force’s NGAD next-gen jet, but more competitors are possible
"We have not received any proposals yet but we expect multiple proposals in the future," an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
Air Force expects sizeable vendor pool for drone wingmen
Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said the service anticipates somewhere between 20-30 competitors to build the drones themselves, and that a similar number of contractors are already part of a vendor pool providing autonomous technologies.
NGAD Deadline: Air Force’s next-generation fighter will be selected in 2024
Little is known about the secretive sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, other than it will be extremely expensive.