The Defense Acquisition Board has set May 30 for its review of the Army-Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft program, pushing forward announcement of the winning contractor to perhaps June at the earliest. Earlier this year, Army and Air Force officials said they expected to make the award in May. The two competitors—Team JCA (Raytheon and EADS CASA North America) and the L-3 Communications-led team—submitted their proposals in late January.
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…

