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.”
Active-Duty Airmen only have a few days left to submit an official waist-to-height ratio into the Air Force’s new online application. But the service clarified July 23 that this first body composition measurement is not meant to be scored as part of the new Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA