Working under a Congressional mandate, Rand Corp. analyzed the Air Force’s planned multiyear procurement for the next 60 F-22A Raptors and found that it would save about $411 million. That is considerably more than the Air Force estimate of $225 million. In its just-released report, Rand’s low estimate was $274 million and its high end was $643 million. (See Data Points) The MYP plan created quite a stir last year, but Congress did pass it, albeit with a caveat that required the Secretary of Defense to provide an independent cost analysis conducted by another federally funded R&D center other than the Institute for Defense Analyses. A possible conflict of interest controversy last year tainted the IDA review of the F-22 MYP. Rand contends that it substantiated more than 70 percent of contractor-proposed savings and found additional savings to arrive at its “most realistic estimate.”
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.