Both the House and Senate hurriedly passed the 2007 defense authorization bill, approving, as in the just-signed-into-law appropriations measure, the Air Force’s multiyear procurement plan for 60 F-22A Raptors over the next three years. Lawmakers have asked for a new independent analysis of MYP cost and certification by the Secretary of Defense that USAF has met all MYP criteria required by law.
The Air Force needs a high-end aircraft that can operate in contested environments that will work with the service’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft semi-autonomous drones and other less pricey platforms, the service's officer said March 18. “Instead of going all high-end and then breaking the bank and not being able…