Coming off of her less-than-enthusiastic comments last month on the program’s performance, the Air Force’s top civilian acquisition official yesterday slammed Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface-Standoff Missile program—saying recent test failures may prevent its certification. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday, Sue Payton confirmed the Air Force and Pentagon leadership were deciding whether or not to keep the program over the next month. Problems in the navigation system and reliability issues have led the Air Force to consider other options, according to Payton.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
