When asked about his view on how personnel costs are affecting the bottom line of the force and its plans for recapitalization, Gen. John Corley, the Air Force’s No. 2 uniformed leader, had a simple answer: “They’re serious.” Health care costs are only one part of the equation, he noted, and right now the Air Force is figuring out how to have the right number, type, and quality of people to maintain the planned force over the next few years. The personnel cuts are part of this, as well as trying to shed older airframes for newer ones, such as the C-130J, most of which require a smaller aircrew and fewer maintainers. Corley maintains, “We’re trying to get our force back in balance … in terms of the large numbers of the force.”
BAE Systems has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to install an upgraded Block 4 electronic warfare system into new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, as well as to retrofit some older jets.
