At least three news reports now say the second Joint Strike Fighter engine program—the one under contract to the General Electric-Rolls Royce team—is doomed. One by Reuters news service quotes knowledgeable defense analyst Loren Thompson, who says flatly that the Pentagon “killed the alternative engine.” That may put paid to the optimism expressed by Rolls Royce last month. Of course, the final Pentagon word won’t come until the planned early February simultaneous release of the QDR and the 2007 defense budget proposal.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.