When it comes right down to it, the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Michael Moseley, says he believes “the C-17 is a much more valuable asset than the C-5A.” Note that he specifically said the “A” model; that’s the older C-5s that the Air Force would like to retire if they can get relief from the Congressional hold that prohibits retirement, pending results of tests with the C-5 avionics modernization and reliability enhancement and re-engining programs. Moseley told lawmakers that the C-5A technology is too old and that he would like to dump some to buy more C-17s. He explained that the completion of the AMP and RERP testing will “play out over a number of years,” but a decision has to be made about whether to purchase more than 180 C-17s “within the next few months.”
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
