A Senate amendment to save the Air Force’s planned multiyear procurement for the F-22A Raptor passed Thursday—by a 70 to 28 vote. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) proposed the amendment (see below), which would authorize the Air Force to enter into a multiyear contract, beginning in Fiscal 2007, for no more than 60 F-22s, but it specifically prohibits the service from implementing an incremental funding plan. The House also would prohibit an incremental buy and wants justification before approving a multiyear approach.
Supply chain and vanishing vendor issues make supporting old nuclear systems increasingly difficult, Global Strike Command’s logistics and engineering chief Brig. Gen. Kenyon K. Bell said. Additive printing will be a big help but can be hampered by bureaucracy.