It now appears the Air Force is working with the Army to try to get Senate authorizers to restore funding the Senate Armed Services Committee cut for the Joint Cargo Aircraft, reports the Congressional newspaper The Hill. The Senate panel cut Army JCA funding from its markup of the 2007 defense authorization bill, opting to wait until the Army and Air Force both work out plans for the program. The Army, however, already has defined its needs and wants to field a new aircraft sooner than the Air Force.
With key members of Congress wavering on the possibility of a $350 billion defense reconciliation bill, defense experts told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the Pentagon is likely drawing up budget backup plans—but such plans would face hard choices between high-end weapons and low-cost drones and other programs in…