An Air 
Force official has told Dow Jones Newswires that the service’s plan to become the lead agent for higher-flying unmanned aerial vehicles could save DOD some $1.7 billion over the next six years. Rebecca Christie reports that USAF’s technical advisor for intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance integration and planning, Bruce Nelson, attributes the savings primarily to reduced duplication of effort through “centralized purchases.” This is not the first time the Air Force has ventured down this road, and, once again, it has come under fire.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.