Boeing’s work on the family of advanced line-of-sight terminals (FAB-T) program for the Air Force is on track for delivery in 2008 after an estimated 18-month delay, according to Roger Krone, president of network and space systems with Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Krone told reporters Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in Washington that the program, which aims to develop a group of ground satellite communications terminals, hit cost overruns and delays for several reasons, including requirements creep and poor baseline management. To remedy the situation, remarked Krone, Boeing brought in more experienced program managers and has worked with the Air Force to add additional growth capability for the future Block 2 program. For now, Krone has high confidence in the Block 1 FAB-T program.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
