The F-35 program goes before the Defense Acquisition Board—chaired by Pentagon acquisition chief John Young—on March 26. At that time, he’ll decide if the program is ready to start on the second batch of low rate initial production. It would seem likely Young will OK the start, based on his remarks at a House Armed Services Committee tactical aviation panel hearing March 11. Although he acknowledged that prime contractor Lockheed Martin has not hit some of its schedule marks, Young noted that Pentagon and Congressional cuts of more than $1 billion have made “a real impact” on the program’s ability to keep on schedule. In fact, Young said, the F-35 is “a well-managed, well-run program that is working to deliver cutting-edge fighter capability.”
A new Navy missile could fill a long-range air-to-air need for the U.S. Air Force’s fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters. The Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for munitions posted information on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile online on Aug. 22, the same day it unveiled the project at the service’s…