According to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) Defense Secretary Robert Gates “has certified” that the F-22A multiyear contract that Congress authorized last year “meets all requirements of the law and will result in a savings to American taxpayers of $41l million.” Chambliss issued a statement Friday following release of the Rand Corp. review of the Raptor MYP (see above). Chambliss was a key supporter of the Air Force MYP plan for the new fighter, which Lockheed Martin produces at its Marietta, Ga., plant. Chambliss calls validation of the MYP a “huge victory” for DOD, the Air Force and the taxpayers.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
