Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told the Senate Appropriations defense panel Wednesday morning that USAF is requesting funding for five C-130Js tactical airlifters in the supplemental. “Right now we’re concerned that the C-130Js remain in the supplemental,” he said; from his perspective USAF will be engaged in Iraq for the foreseeable future and the C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft will be the backbone of the Air Force in five years. Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley called the C-130J “very important to us.” Lawmakers have expressed dismay that USAF had put F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in the supplemental, but little has been said about replacement Herks.
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.