While in Washington the Joint Strike Fighter appears to be on the Quadrennial Defense Review cutting-room floor, members of the JSF integrated test force at Edwards AFB, Calif., are working hard to develop a means for the F-35 to withstand deadly chemical and biological assaults it may encounter in a future war. Testers are using a retired F-16 as a JSF stand-in during a series of three biological trials—involving a harmless spore with similarities to anthrax injected into the engine to contaminate environmental controls—and four simulated chemical agent trials. The JSF is the first fighter to have a requirement to survive chem-bio attack.
Sticker Shock Drags Out USAF’s E-7 Negotiations with Boeing
April 18, 2024
While a deal on the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management jet may come soon, negotiations are stuck on the high price Boeing is asking for the development jets, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said recently.