Penny Wise Meets Modest Risk:
Lawmakers lost no time challenging the Pentagon’s plan to cancel the Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine. At one of the first hearings on the new defense budget, Rep. David Hobson (R-Ohio) questioned Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the risk involved, considering past problems with “sole-sourcing jet engines.” In Hobson’s view, “We’re being, frankly, penny wise and pound foolish.” To which Rumsfeld replied: “Previous experience indicated that any sole-source risk was modest and acceptable. And, it saves $1.8 billion.” Hmmm.
The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.