Both the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22A programs were in the crosshairs of a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon. A GAO representative decried the lack of an “executable business case” for the Raptor with the 198-airplane gap between what the Air Force will buy and what it says it needs and offered a similar view of the JSF acquisition plan to buy before completing testing. A Congressional Research Service analyst questioned—as have lawmakers—whether the decision to eliminate an alternate engine for the JSF was “based on its merits” or on “tradeoffs in a budget cutting process.” Christopher Bolkcom of the CRS noted that if an engine problem should surface in the future, the entire fleet could be grounded.
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
