USAF is “comfortable” with the decision to terminate the F136 alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood. Modern engines are so reliable that the Air Force doesn’t feel an alternate is a compelling requirement in order to guard against a fleet-grounding problem with the F135.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.